


Hope for the Hidden World

by arourallis



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Fix-It, Gen, No one is Blindingly Stupid or Horny, how it should have ended
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:22:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21514495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arourallis/pseuds/arourallis
Summary: In a Hidden World not ruled by plot contrivances and plot-induced stupidity, Hiccup actually comes up with a long-term plan to achieve his goals instead of giving up the second things got slightly hard.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 58





	Hope for the Hidden World

The sea was silent and still, and the dozen hunter-ships at anchor were hidden in a bank of fog dense as snow. Each ship left a guard on watch, their cargo was far too valuable and _alive_ to leave alone and the sea had conspired to push the fleet dangerously close to the most perfect and terrible island in the archipelago. For people in their profession, it was the richest target this side of the Icy Sea, but even the greatest of their order couldn't break the defenses or spirit of Berk.

  
Dragons shifted in their prisons as a guard passed, flinching away from his lantern light. The hunter smirked, kicking the bars of the over-stuffed cage inches from the bloodied snout of a Nadder. Hunter ships _this_ close to Berk had a tendency to run afoul of it's dragon riders. No matter how big the fleet, they slunk back to port with empty cages and tales of Berk’s Night Fury. But if this crew had any say in it, they would be going home with full holds and leaving with full purses. That's why a few hunters were awake and at the ready below deck, ready and _waiting.  
  
_

Toothess and Hiccup led the riders to the hunter fleet, helpless at anchor. The Silver Phantom scouts had marked their position earlier that evening, leaving the rest of the fun for the raiders. The flock split into 12 groups of three, to hit all the ships at once. Hiccup, Astrid and Valka swooped silently onto the largest ship in the very center, though Cloudjumper perched on the mast so he and Valka could keep an eye on the other ships. Hiccup and Astrid dismounted and got to work, communicating with silent hand gestures. Toothless and Stormfly gave mute assurance to the dragons as Astrid slowly, _slowly_ eased the bolt open- the Gronckle and Scuttleclaw within bolted for the open air after a brief glance at Toothless, joining other newly-freed dragons above the mist. They moved to the next cage, then the next, alternating their watch on the guard and the surrounding ships. An absolute behemoth of a dragon took up the entirety of the last cage, there would be no way to release it without alerting the whole fleet and the guards would notice the empty cages in moments. On the far side of the ship, Astrid spotted the twins lowering themselves onto the deck with Fishlegs following suit further down. Catching Astrid's eye, Fishlegs shook a clenched fist, then splayed his fingers wide. _‘All clear.’_ Astrid nudged Hiccup, right as Snotlout followed the plan (for once) and joined their side of the ship. As they expected, a shout of alarm rose from the far side of the fleet.

“Time’s up!” Hiccup barked, ripping open the next cage.

Footsteps thundered up the stairs as hunters poured out of the depths of the ships, armed to the teeth and gunning right for them from all sides of the deck. Hookfang and Toothless lept to the tops of the nearest cages, scattering the hunters with careful blasts of fire, allowing Snotlout to open the largest cage. The dragon within didn't hesitate one moment, shouldering it's way out of it's prison. It lurched onto the deck and the boat pitched wildly as it's great weight shifted, sending hunters flying and even toppling a few over the railing. Smoke billowed higher as sails and rigging burned, further ruining the visibility. For the _hunters_ anyway.

“All clear on this side!” Ruffnut shouted, between clashes of unseen weapons.

“Good, now get going!” Hiccup shouted back.

Toothless arched his back, spines splitting and flaring blue. He glowed eerily in the fog, and he barked an order at the massive bull-dragon. The great beast wheeled, ready to fight whoever dared give _him_ an order, but all protest in his eyes died in the blue blaze of Toothless’s Alpha light. Toothless snorted, jerking his chin towards the sky, and the bull-dragon bowed his head. He took a few shaky steps, spread his titanic wings, and leapt to the sky, rocking the boat well off it's axis. But, he banked sharply, head lowered, and charged back to the mast of the nearest ship, smashing clean through and he kept going. Mast after mast he smashed, and Cloudjumper hooted in alarm when the bull-dragon aimed right for the head ship. Cloudjumper launched off the boom, wings pounding furiously to get himself and his rider out of harm’s way. But before they could rise and join the rest, a white glimmer caught Valka’s eye.

“There!” she hissed, pointing with her staff.

One small, white dragon cowered in the corner of the very last cage, despite the door being wide open. Cloudjumper landed on the railing, fending off the last few hunters with a torrent of fire. Valka dropped into the deck and slunk into the cage, extending an open hand towards the white dragon. It warbled in alarm, shooting past her and right into Cloudjumper’s wings. He fumbled the little creature, eventually scooped her up onto his back then extended a claw for Valka to hook herself up. Cloudjumper took to the sky again, flanked by Toothless and Stormfly.

Above the fog and in the first rays of the morning sun, the Berkian raiders led their new flock home. A good two dozen dragons, by Fishleg’s count, and only a few were hurt. Including the strange white dragon that was so bundled in it's wings that no one could get a good look at it. Toothless drifted closer, crooning softly at the little dragon while Hiccup held himself stock-still and Valka watched with her head half-turned. The little dragon peeked out between it's wings with one massive blue eye, squinting against the sunlight. But once it's eyes locked on Toothless, the dragon squawked in surprise, wings snapping open so it could stand and look properly, back arched-  
Everyone froze. Everyone stared.

It was very much like a Night Fury in most respects. Four short legs, long narrow wings, extra fins on it's tail, long ear-flaps on it's rounded head but… not entirely the same. It had a fleshy ridge down it's spine, peaking like a whale’s fin in the middle, and it's tail rudders were likewise shaped like a whale’s fluke. It's wings were more finely pointed and arched, like a falcon’s, and it's scales were like perfect pearly coins.

“It's-” Hiccup started, unable to breathe.

“No,” Valka interrupted, “Not a _Night_ Fury.”

“A _Light_ Fury.” Astrid said. Stormfly squawked in agreement.

“Um, Mrs. Haddock-” Fishlegs whispered from just under Cloudjumper’s wing.

“Please, call me Valka dear.” she chuckled, shaking her head.

“Mrs.- Val- _Ma’am-_ ” Fishlegs stammered, “Have you seen anything like that before? It- maybe _she,_ she’s so small and round! She looks like Toothless, but she couldn't possibly be the same species…”

“You saw Night Furies once, right?” Hiccup pressed hopefully. Toothless whined at Valka too.

Valka hesitated, thinking hard.

“Once.” she finally answered, “But that was so long ago, 15 years at least. It was a small family that came to the Bewilderbeast’s nest. But that clan had gold eyes, not green. I could only watch them from a distance, and they left after a few days. Once they left, they flew West…”

“West…” Hiccup echoed, looking over the horizon, “Dad always said-”

“That old story?” Astrid scoffed, “I always thought it was the Queen’s nest we found. It was West of Berk, a mountain full of dragons-”

“Yeah, but that nest couldn't be the home of _all_ dragons.” Hiccup countered, “Maybe the stories aren't just stories. What if there is a place all the dragons came from? Those hunters are showing up with dragons we’ve never seen before, they must be coming from somewhere we haven't explored, somewhere we’ve never _been.”_

“If there is a habitat hidden somewhere, maybe underground, that would explain why the Light Fury has such large eyes!” Fishlegs agreed, “They can't be nocturnal, not with white scales.”

“Maybe…” Hiccup muttered.

The Light Fury shrank away from all the curious eyes, nervously licking a raw-red paw. The wrist of her wing was likewise hurt, from a trap no doubt. Toothless whined, trying to catch the little Fury’s attention, but she only hid in a cocoon of her wings again.

“It's okay Bud…” Hiccup assured softly, patting Toothless’s neck, “I’m sure she’ll warm up to us.”

He hoped.

Berk had been a bustling home for dragons for nearly six years, but now there were more dragons than ever, and there was increasingly little room for everyone. The sea-stacks and cliffs were covered in platforms and dragon homes, and the old hangar had been restored and expanded. The dragons helped of course. The stony peak in the center of town, and the mountains all over the island were covered in artificial caves and roosts, those were almost enough. They would need to excavate more soon, and venture out for more timber. They couldn't afford to strip their own forests completely.

Toothless howled, leading the flock to the bare cliffs just South of the village where they had cleared a landing strip for dragons of all sizes. The great red dragon most definitely needed the space, and at Toothless’s command it landed first. As it lumbered out of the way, the rest took their turn. Some dragons filtered into the forest while the riders and their partners returned to town, and Hiccup dismounted with an aching stretch. Cloudjumper fluttered gently to the ground, crouching low to let little Light off. She bolted as soon as she was able, tumbling into the long grass as her bad leg gave out. She righted herself, pupils narrowing to slits as Toothless approached. He thrummed softly, even Cloudjumper gave an encouraging whistle. But Light keened, and sprinted into the trees. Hooting in alarm, Toothless gave chase and Cloudjumper followed, but Valka held Hiccup back with a firm grip on his shoulder.

“They’ll manage.” she assured him.

Hiccup and Valka joined Astrid on the well-worn path back to the village, and Hiccup braced himself for the influx of duties that would doubtlessly be waiting for them. Without a word, Astrid took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. As he thought, the people of Berk were waiting, and the fishing captain was the first to speak up.

“Hiccup- _Chief_ Hiccup,” he corrected himself, “Even with dragons helping, we have to go out twice as far for thrice as long to even have half a prayer for feeding everyone! The farmers can barely keep the dragons out of the fields, there were _three_ fires last night-”

“What he _means_ to say is-” Gobber huffed, elbowing his way to the front of the crowd, “Is that we need both of you _here_ to keep Berk in order!”

“You’ve got the raiders working perfectly, and they’ve got Valka.” Eret agreed, “You don’t need to go on _every_ expedition.”

“I know, I- _we’ve_ come to a potential alternative.” Hiccup insisted.

“Oh really? Well I’m sure everyone here is keen on hearing it.” Gobber said, crossing his arms.

“I need to talk to you first. _Both_ of you.” Hiccup pushed both men around by the shoulders, ushering them up the hill towards home at the top of the hill.

Valka and Astrid followed, closing the door of the Haddock home on prying eyes. They sat around the heavy-hewn table while Hiccup fetched a few books and charts, spreading his great map out first.

“There were always stories about where dragons came from. When I was little, Dad told me about a hidden place, a hole in the world beyond the sunset. After we found the nest on Dragon Island, he thought _that_ was it. But now I’m not so sure.” Hiccup sat heavily, leafing through a random book, “Hunters are showing up with rarer dragons, _bigger_ ones too. Dragons we’ve never seen anywhere near Berk. They must be going West to find them, since they’ve been plundering the islands East and South for far too long and they don't dare come close to us. They’re getting _desperate.”_

Valka nodded, “That red dragon was new even to me, and the Light fury-”

“A _what?”_ Eret blurted.

“One of the dragons we rescued.” Astrid explained, “She looks like Toothless, but white all over-”

“And her tail fins are different.” Hiccup added

Eret frowned, and his brows furrowed deeply.

“I remember- and this was a _long_ time ago mind you- someone nearly got thrown overboard for trying to sell a ‘fake Night Fury’. I never saw what the dragon was, but that hunter only ever prowled the Western oceans. And there was this other hunter… hadn’t heard about him for years before we, uh, _met._ He was _obsessed_ with Night Furies, went East when he couldn’t find them here anymore…” Eret sighed.

Hiccup frowned, nearly tearing a few pages from his book.

“A _Night Fury hunter?”_ he hissed through clenched teeth.

Eret hesitated, fingers twitching nervously.

“Yes. Never met him myself, few _did._ But his reputation was enough.” he finally said.

“Now that’s all well and good-” Gobber sighed, “But what does _any_ of this have to do with our dragon problem?”

Hiccup took a deep breath, exhaling hard through his nose.

“We can’t just let the dragons go, we’ll just be pulling them back out of cages within a week. With all of them here, we’re a target. There _has_ to be somewhere dragons can live safely, where _humans_ can't go. If there is a hidden place, a hole in the sea, we should bring most of the dragons there. They’ll be safe and we can keep _our_ dragons here.” he said firmly.

“That- well, that’s not the _worst_ idea.” Gobber stroked his chin.

“I agree.” Valka said, “If there is a place like that, then that is what we must do for the dragons we can’t keep. If the Light Fury _is_ from the hidden world, then maybe she can lead us there.”

“But- she looks so _young._ Would she even know the way?” Astrid looked between Valka and Hiccup.

“Maybe if we get her close, we’ll recognize some landmarks?” Hiccup guessed.

“Possibly. We won't know until we try, and we can't try until we earn her trust…” Valka sighed, and started shucking off her armor.

“Well, if she’s a Fury, I’m sure Toothless can win her over.” Hiccup replied, doing the same, “Now, who in Thor’s name is this ‘Night Fury hunter’?”

Eret flinched, and his fingers resumed their twitching.

“Like I said, he shipped himself East years ago, he only showed himself when he wanted to make a scene. Honestly, people talked more about his _ego_ than any hunting skill. When there’s nothing for you to hunt, all you can brag about is the ‘good old days’,” Eret rolled his eyes, “If he isn’t _dead,_ he’s probably lost in the woods somewhere I’d rather not imagine.”

A sharp crosswind caught in the rigging of a strange contraption, two crossed iron beams suspending a wide deck, bristling with crossbows. Four black and red dragons, armor-plated with savage tusks, were tethered to the rig with massive harnesses and chains while two more of their kind flew freely beside the deck. All had a thick leather collar cinched around their necks, holding capsules that plunged needles deep into their flesh. Their eyes were dull, half-lidded, their pupils narrowed to pinpricks, only following the occasional sharp whistles of a tall, rail-thin man. He dressed all in mottled, scaly black leather, every inch of him covered in it, including a richly sculpted helm of bone and scales. The tall man sniffled, pushing back the faceplate of his helm to delicately blow his nose into a handkerchief. Setting the cloth aside, he took up a telescope and peered out over the horizon, then re-checked a map weighed down with dragon skulls, so small they would barely fill a man’s hand.

Within an hour, the rig was upon a bleak and barren pox-scar of rock, ringed all around with ramshackle docks and shacks and so many ships the hunters that were stuck on the fringes could simply walk across a dozen decks to shore. The thin man sneered behind his helm, and whistled to his dragons to begin their descent. The rig groaned, and the Night Fury skulls pinned to it's beams rattled, packed on as tight as the scales on a fish. The long spear-legs under the deck plunged deep into the gravel beach and slowly, the rig settled. The tethered dragons dropped, utterly exhausted, to perch on the beams but the thin man paid them no mind. He loaded a small crossbow with a hollow-pointed quarrel, dabbing the bladed tip with a fresh coat of venom. Once satisfied, he slung the weapon over his shoulder, stepped off the rig, and snapped to his two free dragons. They followed obediently, slack-jawed and drooling, dragging their long sickle-claws across the stone. Guards snapped to attention at the gate of the arena, sparing a nervous glance to each other. Behind them, bellows of pain and fury echoed into the hazy sky from the depths of a crater some clever long-ago tribe had turned into the world’s largest cage. The thin man marched right up to the gate with a dragon on each flank and with two quick whistles, they snapped to attention. The dragons bristled, snarling low as noxious acid dripped from their jaws and their long tails arched over their backs, brandishing a stinger as long as a man’s forearm.

“I _will_ be speaking with Ragnar.” the man said, chipper tone and relaxed posture doing nothing to mask his threat.

The guards nodded sharply, hauling the gate open for them all. The thin man pushed his face plate back, revealing a sharp, knowing grin.

 _“Thank_ you.” he snapped his fingers and the dragons relaxed, following him inside.

Guards inside the arena scattered and alarm spread all the way to a massive table covered in maps and charts. The three warlords there slowly raised their heads, barely fazed by the intrusion. A violet Rumblehorn the hunters had been trying to wrangle into a cage took the moment of distraction to break free of the single chain around it's neck and charge for the open gate. With hardly a blink, the thin man whipped his crossbow over his shoulder, aimed, and fired. The quarrel struck home in the Rumblehorn’s neck, and the thin man kept walking. The dragon bellowed, skidding to a stop and scraping it's underside against the gravel, trying to dislodge the bolt. After a few more moments it staggered, then dropped like a stone. Ragnar the Rock squinted at the stranger, then barked a harsh laugh.

“Grimmel the Grisley!” he barked, far louder than necessary, “We feared you dead all these years! I see you’ve found yourself a few new toys as well! Still hunting those old Night Furies are you?”

“Drago Bludvist is _dead.”_ Grimmel hissed, slowly removing his helmet.

“Oh aye. He bit himself off more than he could chew on Berk!” Ragnar shook his head.

“And left _many_ debts unpaid.” snarled the woman to Ragnar’s left.

 _“And_ lost hundreds of dragons.” said the warlord in ornate lacquered armor.

 _“Berk?_ Berk fended off _Drago Bludvist?”_ Grimmel sneered in disbelief, “Berk was a backwater, dragon-ravaged, _worthless-”_

“Oh Grimmy, you’ve been gone too long!” Ragnar rounded the table to clap Grimmel across the shoulders, ”There’s one Night Fury left in this corner of the world, and it protects the whole of Berk! That, and it's _chief._ They raid our ships, empty our traps, it's all we can do to scrape together a few dozen dragons these days.”

Ragnar sighed, and the other warlords glowered.

“We cannot even get _close_ to that damn island!” the woman hissed, slamming her hands down on the table and scattering the model ships.

“Aye, all the dragons there obey the Night Fury. There’s a _king’s_ ransom for whoever catches it.” Ragnar cast a knowing grin down at Grimmel.

Grimmel shrugged Ragnar’s arm away, dusting off his shoulder. A predatory gleam flickered in his eyes.

“And do you _have_ a king’s ransom to offer?” he asked slowly, as he reloaded his crossbow.

“Of course old friend! Why else would I set up a deal? Of course, that is for the beast alive, preferable with the rest of it's flock behind you.” the mirth slowly faded from Ragnar’s face, “We can hunt the strays down if we must, but we need their Alpha _alive._ Is that _clear?”_

Grimmel slung his crossbow back over his shoulder.

 _“Crystal,_ ‘old friend’.” he replied, with a sarcastic smile.

“Good, we have an understanding! Now, I take it you know the way?” Ragnar snapped right back to his jolly facade.

“I can manage. Your armada should be ready to move in a few days.” Grimmel waved carelessly over his shoulder, then snapped for his dragons.

One dragon obeyed, the other snorted, shivered, and tried to claw at it's collar. Quick as lightning, Grimmel swept in with a fresh vial of venom, jamming the needle deep. Within seconds, the beast was placid and compliant once more, and they left.

“We do _not_ have the gold for such a promise Ragnar.” Griselda hissed.

“We have no dragons to sell. Buyers will no longer wait for dragons they know we can not supply.” Chaghatai added.

“Aye, we don’t have the gold _now.”_ Ragnar agreed, “But what would a king pay for a dragon army and it's Alpha? Whatever we asked, that's what. Drago wanted to do it all himself, he was too personally invested. Us? All _we_ need to do is supply the Drago Bludvists of the world.”

Ragnar grinned, and the other warlords rolled their eyes.

Then the Rumblehorn stirred.

Toothless and Cloudjumper had been tracking the Light Fury for hours, but even with a bad wing and leg she was lightning fast. They ranged all over Berk, eventually getting Stormfly’s help to track in the woods and fields but every time their team caught up, Light bolted again. Toothless snarled in frustration, tail lashing through the ferns. His companions rumbled, shifting away by a step or two, watching as Toothless resumed his pursuit, he sniffed and sniffed, following a track of trampled undergrowth until- there she was! Perched high on a rock, she tried to spread her wings only to whimper in pain. Toothless hunkered low in the ferns, then crooned softly. She flailed, freezing with her back arched and teeth bared until she found Toothless below. She keened, a weak, pleading sound- but then her eyes snapped up. Snarling once more, Light shot a blue bolt of plasma and threw herself through the fireball. When the smoke cleared, she had vanished. Warbling in alarm, Stormfly, Toothless, and Cloudjumper spread out but… there was no sign of Light anywhere. Somehow. With a resigned sigh, the three turned back to Berk.

At the edge of the forest, Cloudjumper stopped. _He_ would continue the search, Toothless was needed elsewhere. He tumbled off the edge of the cliff, spiraling up and away to scan the forest from above. Stormfly was content to walk with Toothless for a time, at least until a few other Nadders drifted by and called out to her. She replied in kind, leaning into the wind to join them with a few more flicks of her wings. Toothless watched them all go, heart sinking. He looked back to the forest, then to his tail, covered as it was with leather and cables. He flexed his tail fin and as always, the red half, _Hiccup’s_ half, was still. He was alone after all. With a deepening sigh, Toothless resumed his march home.

All along the way, Toothless was forced to break up petty squabbles and serious fights that threatened to flatten buildings or hurt the vikings of Berk. what could’ve been a minute long flight became hours of slogging through the crowded streets, nearly getting his wings and tail trampled. The frustration only built higher and higher until Toothless threw his head back and _roared._ Dragons and vikings alike scattered, leaving a clear path for Toothless to stomp his way up the hill. Toothless grumbled and snarled to himself, tail lashing all the while. He rammed his shoulder into the front door of the Haddock home, flinging it wide open and startling the people inside half to death. They watched silently as Toothless stalked inside, nosed under the blanket on his bed by the hearth, curled up, and went to sleep.

Astrid was the first to move, closing the door on hundreds of confused and terrified eyes. Hiccup hadn’t taken his eyes off Toothless.

“I- don't think he found the Light Fury.” Valka murmured.

“He _never_ gets like this, what-” Hiccup started to get up, but Valka held him back with a gentle touch.

“I’d wager he’s just frustrated lad.” Gobber said, taking up one of Hiccup’s books.

“He’s probably never _met_ one of his own kind, not that he can remember. The Light Fury may just not be able to understand him, plus she’s hurt and far from home. I’m sure he just needs some rest…” Valka sighed.

Though it was only mid-morning, it felt _much_ later. Eret and Gobber took their leave, and Valka retreated to her makeshift room downstairs. She still couldn't bring herself to reclaim her old room. Hiccup left Toothless to his nap and his maps on the table, and slogged up the stairs. He dumped the firescale armor he had already removed into the chest at the foot of his bed, stripping off the rest piece by piece and leaving it with the rest. Astrid followed after fixing up the books, rising to the second floor just as Hiccup pulled an old tunic over his head. Astrid smiled faintly to herself, taking a moment to admire his bare legs. It was rare to see him out of his latest overcomplicated outfit. She let out an appreciative hum as she took the last few steps up, smirking when Hiccup started.

“Can you get the buckles in the back? I’m sweating like _crazy.”_ Astrid said with an exaggerated sigh, already shedding her gloves and bracers.

Red-faced, Hiccup complied. With a little fiddling on the laces and buckles, she was soon down to the leather undersuit and Hiccup left to fetch her one of the many tunics that had been left in his room.

“We can't do this forever you know.” she murmured.

“I know, I _have_ known- That's why we have to find somewhere the dragons will be safe.” Hiccup sighed, long and sad, “We need to protect our own. Toothless can't keep _this_ many dragons under control, and with so many hunters still around… we need to do right by them, if we can't protect them ourselves.”

Astrid wiggled into her tunic, then dragged Hiccup to the bed.

“You need to rest that big brain of yours. The maps will still be there in a few hours.”

They slept for more than a few hours. By mid-afternoon Toothless was upstairs, dropping the whole weight of his head on Hiccup’s gut. Hiccup shot half upright with a strangled yelp, nearly flinging Astrid out of bed. Toothless huffed, and started digging through Hiccup’s clothes, returning with two shirts and a sock.

“A star for effort Bud.” Hiccup groaned, arching his back.

“Toothless, _why-”_ Astrid rubbed her face, muffling a groan.

Toothless just huffed and crammed himself back downstairs. Astrid and Hiccup made themselves presentable and after a quick kiss, squared themselves to face the day. There were repairs waiting with Gobber in the smithy, plus training the newest generation of blacksmiths that were finally big enough for the job. Astrid joined Valka to catalog and organize their food stores, and straighten up the lumber yard. Toothless busied himself keeping the crowds of dragons moving and more importantly, _calm._ The great red bull-dragon seemed quite content minding the flock of hatchlings that were ever-present on Berk, so Toothless left the old veteran to it. The food basins were running low, so the squabbles would be starting again…

  
The sun was well on it's way down when they could finally retire. Hiccup and Toothless returned home only long enough to grab a few books and the map. Then he was back in the saddle, and finally back in the air. They both just… needed a little space. They found it on the lookout on the high Western cliffs, with all of Berk in easy view. There was nothing but the forest below and rocky peaks above, and a few roaming dragons that kept a respectful distance. The ocean winds rose up the face of the cliff, hard enough to make an updraft that Toothless could hang in effortlessly with his tail locked open. Hiccup spread out his map, weighing it down with a few books while Toothless spun about in the wind. While there were records of a few islands Hiccup had missed in his own travels, there was no mention of something as grand as a hole in the world. The glaring weakness of his map was now obvious, he had never managed to fill in the lands _directly_ West beyond the Dragon's Nest, only North-West, or South-West…  
Stormfly’s greeting squawk finally broke Hiccup’s concentration.

“There you are.” Astrid huffed, sliding off her dragon’s back as they landed.

Stormfly shivered, dropping off the edge of the cliff to join Toothless in his hovering games, while Astrid made some space to sit at Hiccup’s side.

“Dad took me up here once. I was so small he had to carry me most of the way. That day, he told me about the hidden world of dragons, a place beyond the sunset. He wanted to seal the dragons away so we would all know peace..” Hiccup’s voice wavered, and Astrid took his hand, “I don’t think he ever really _wanted_ to fight, he did what he had to. To protect his home, his family-”

“And you're doing the same thing he did. But you, and Toothless, you can only protect so many. You're still doing the right thing if we can find a new home for the wild dragons.” she gave Hiccup’s hand a firm squeeze, “If they have the space, I’m sure they’ll be fine without an Alpha.”

Toothless and Stormfly tumbled up above, hooting back and forth to each other.

“Astrid… Maybe, as long as there are men like Drago, that Night Fury hunter, anyone that wants to profit off dragons… _None_ of them are safe. Someday, _someone_ is going to come here again, and here there's nowhere for dragons to hide. We would be forced to fight, again and again-” Hiccup’s lips pressed to a thin line.

“Hiccup, what are you saying?” Astrid gasped.

“What if this, _all of this,_ isn’t what’s actually best? For us, for our dragons…” Hiccup gestured wildly towards Berk, “I can’t ask our tribe to risk themselves and everything they love for the rest of their lives, their _children's_ lives! What if we find this hidden world, and what if there’s a new island close by? A place with fresh fishing grounds, more land, somewhere off the map where no one will find us?”

“You want to _give up?_ Abandon our _home?”_ Astrid seethed, “Hiccup, this was your _dream,_ we all fought for it! Your _father_ fought for it-”

“I _know.”_ Hiccup snapped, “I know… And I don't want anyone else to die for a dream. If peace isn't possible… we have to protect them until it is.”

Hiccup turned to Astrid with tears brimming in his eyes, and the tense fury left her shoulders. She leaned against his side, sighing deeply. The dragons had turned in their updraft, suddenly uneasy from the harsh voices. But before Toothless could land, an unseen force tackled him out of the air and into the forest below. Stormfly shrieked in alarm, landing just long enough for Astrid and Hiccup to vault onto her back. Then, she dove down through the trees, following the trail of broken branches and Toothless’s panicked howls. Stormfly was forced to land eventually and sprinted along with her nose in the ferns, nearly bouncing her riders off her back. She eventually came upon a clearing and came to a screeching halt, thrumming softly. There, in a shaft of faint, moonlight, Toothless and the Light Fury circled each other slowly. Light stepped closer to sniff Toothless’s tail fin, eyeing his saddle and cables and straps. She still limped, and kept her injured wing pinned tight to her side. Toothless purred, bounding playfully to the said and wiggling through the ferns. She watched him until her eyes landed on Stormfly and her humans. Light yelped, burying herself in the undergrowth until her eyes were barely visible. Toothless jumped at the noise, freezing with his back arched until he too found the spies. He immediately relaxed, cooing at Light in an attempt to comfort her. Then he bounded over to Hiccup as his slid off Stormfly’s back, thrusting himself under Hiccup’s hand. Stormfly took one step forward and Light bolted. She leapt off a large boulder, spitting a fireball in just the right place to fall through the heat and smoke and once again, she vanished. Toothless howled into the distance, wings drooping.

“She- she _vanished.”_ Astrid gasped.

“Like a Changewing.” Hiccup agreed.

There was nothing more they could do. Hiccup set himself in the saddle and they all returned to the cliff for the map and books, then left for home. Toothless however, remained outside and called over Cloudjumper and Stormfly.

“Go find her Bud, she needs our help.” Hiccup said, patting Toothless’s shoulder.

The dragons returned to the woods, and Hiccup entered his home after Astris. Valka stood from the hearth with a bowl of stew, handing it over with a soft smile before filling another. They ate in silence as Hiccup amended his map and looked over his notes.

“I found notes on a few islands I missed out West.” he explained, “It's not what we’re looking for, but it's a start.”

“I must confess, you’ve been a bit further West than I have. I don’t have much to offer in that regard.” Valka sighed, gathering the dishes.

“I’ll figure something out Mom. Ideally, _no one_ should know where it is.” Hiccup smiled, taking the drink she offered.

“Oh, Astrid! Why don't I walk you home?” Valka said cooly.

At first Astrid was ready to decline, before a flicker of recognition crossed her face. A sly, conspiratorial smile cracked her lips as she linked their arms together, and Valka shut the door behind them. Hiccup just rolled his eyes. They had been up to something lately, but that left Hiccup time to work on his own surprise for Valka. If only Cloudjumper shed more, he would’ve been done ages ago…

After a while longer at his studies, Hiccup was more than ready for sleep. He folded up his map and stuffed it in the pages of the most useful book, then rose to tend the fire. Until something creaked upstairs. Hiccup froze. Creak after creak, the footsteps headed to the stairs. Hiccup snatched Inferno from the table, right where he left it _thank Thor,_ and stood ready. Black leather boots descended into view, leading to the hem of a hauntingly familiar black-leather duster and trousers. The figure was impossibly tall, only fully visible on the last few steps. He was thin, pale in what little skin showed, held a scaled helm under one arm and a crossbow in the other. A venomous smile split his thin, waxy face. He carelessly dropped his helm on a chair as he entered the room, and removed a small white cloth bundle from his belt.

“A gift, for my _gracious_ host.” he said, tossing the bundle in Hiccup’s direction.

Hiccup made no move to catch it, letting the object fall onto the table with a hollow crack. The man simply shrugged, ambling over to Stoick’s chair and folding himself down into it. He crossed one leg over his other knee, and rested his crossbow low, like a cat ready to pounce. With a flick, Hiccup released Inferno, throwing a brighter light over the thin man, revealing a _very_ familiar pattern on the man’s coat, and trousers, and boots, and gloves-

“My, that _is_ a fun trick. You must be _Chief_ Hiccup.” the thin man drawled, smile doing nothing to hide the disdain in his voice.

 _“You’re_ the Night Fury hunter.” Hiccup snarled.

“Oh, good! I don't need to introduce myself! And you know _why_ I’m here. I’ll keep this simple: there are _old friends_ of someone you had past dealings with that would pay anything for your dragon ‘friends’. I don't care for their little games. You hand over the Night Fury now, and I leave, no questions asked.” the man still smiled, but his eyes gleamed dangerously, “Refuse? I take them all and leave you ‘chief’ of the ashes. This game of peace with the beasts is over, whether you like it or not. They are not our _equals,_ and you are more foolish than I thought if you think _this_ is the future of mankind.”

Hiccup scowled, leveling Inferno at the man’s chest.

“He is not a _thing_ to give away, and he is _not_ yours to take.”

The man sneered, batting Inferno away and he lurched to his feet.

 _“Listen_ to yourself boy, throwing your lot in with the losing side! The world is marching on, with or without your pathetic village-” he snarled.

“We’ve fought bigger enemies than you. Madmen and dragons the size of _mountains.”_ Hiccup flicked Inferno shut, and snatched Astrid’s axe from the bench, “We don't give in to men like _you.”_

“Oh my boy, there _are_ no men like Grimmel the Grisley.”

Grimmel’s smile returned, sharp and predatory and he let out a long, piercing whistle. An unholy shriek followed by splintering wood sent Hiccup scrambling. The ceiling above started to burn, dripping oily fire to the floor below until an utterly _demonic_ dragon ripped through the planks. Hiccup grabbed the books off the table, turning in time to see Grimmel striding for his front door. Hiccup hefted the axe, and threw-

The axe flipped through the air, clipping the top of Grimmel’s shoulder before sinking deep into the post.

Grimmel shrieked, and his dragon charged through the room to tackle Grimmel out into the open, smashing through the wall and carrying him away into the night. Hiccup followed, shielding his face from the smoke and fumes and snatching Astrid’s axe out of the wall, but- Grimmel was gone, and half the nearby rooftops were smoldering. Valka sprinted up the hill, followed closely by Astrid and Eret, all rushing to the Haddock home. The resident Scauldrons roused from the cisterns and, as they had practiced, extinguished the fires from above with a careful spray of water.

 _“Hiccup!”_ Valka cried, immediately dragging him into a tight embrace.

“What was _that?”_ Astrid gasped, stricken and breathless.

“I’m fine, I’m fine-” Hiccup rasped between coughs, handing Astrid her axe.

They all caught their breath, while Eret waved the Scauldron away. After a moment, Gobber caught up with them, and Hiccup spoke.

“That was Grimmel. The Night Fury hunter.”

Fury rose instantly, but Hiccup waved them down.

“Don’t worry, I got a good hit in. All your axe-throwing lessons paid off M’lady.” Hiccup cracked a wry grin.

Slowly, Astrid returned that smile, gently punching Hiccup’s shoulder. The five of them trailed into the still-steaming Haddock home, bracing themselves to assess the damage. The books on the table were mostly unscathed, as was… Grimmel’s ‘gift’. Hiccup swallowed hard, and with shaking hands, tore the bundle open. Inside was a baby Night Fury skull, cracked right down the middle.

Between the commotion and fighting the fires that followed, the whole of Berk was roused from sleep. As soon as the fires were extinguished for sure, Hiccup called everyone to the Great Hall. Valka, Astrid, Gobber, Eret, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut filled the head table, and after a time Hiccup raised a hand for silence.

“We were visited by a very dangerous man, a man in league with people like Drago Bludvist and he calls himself Grimmel the Grisly. He is a Night Fury hunter, and he’s after Toothless.”

A murmur passed through the crowd, and Hiccup saw Eret snarl from the corner of his eye, clenching his fists to hide his twitching fingers.

“He’s after Toothless, and the people he works for are after _all_ our dragons. I feared this would happen one day, and now we have to fight for their freedom. Again. So long as there are dragons on Berk, we’ll be a target for men like Drago Bludvist and Grimmel and every other madman like them. But, we’ve found a potential solution.” Hiccup looked to Valka and Astrid, who nodded.

“As long as vikings have lived here, there have been stories about a hidden homeland of dragons, a place they came from and humans can't go. If this place exists, it may be the safest place for _all_ of us.”

That sent a rumble through the hall.

“Are you saying we should _abandon_ Berk?” someone shouted.

“No, I am not.” Hiccup said firmly, “But there are too many dragons here now, and there is nowhere left for them to go. Every island we’ve found that used to be covered in dragons is empty and swarming with hunters. So long as there are dragons for them to exploit, the hunters will stay. But- if we can bring them somewhere secret, somewhere _hidden_ and it looks like dragons have disappeared for good, they’ll _have_ to leave.”

The crowd continued to murmur, and Valka stood.

“We all know these people by now. They don't see dragons the way we do and maybe, because of _us,_ the dragons of Berk are too trusting of humans. They associate us with food and shelter and companionship, it would be far too easy for hunters to take advantage of that trust. We _owe_ it to them to do what must be done for their survival. Even- even if the choices we must make are painful.” she leaned heavily on the table, looking suddenly older.

“For now, we need the Phantoms out on patrol, we _can’t_ be caught off guard again.” Hiccup said, raising his hand for silence once more, “Toothless has been earning the trust of a dragon that may just be from this hidden world. If it is everything we hope it is, she’s the key to getting everyone there.”

The villagers slowly dispersed back to their homes, leaving just Hiccup and his council. They all sat heavily, and one by one turned to their chief. They were all exhausted, but couldn’t just turn in on a night like this.

“So, Toothless is after the Light Fury.” Eret repeated, thinking over their plan.

“Yes. We’ve seen her, and there’s this- _thing_ she can do. She dives through a plasma blast and she just- _vanishes!”_ Astrid scratched her head.

Fishlegs nearly leapt onto the table amid the voices of surprise and disbelief.

“You’re sure?! Toothless’s plasma blasts can be blinding, maybe-” Fishlegs babbled, flicking through his dragon cards.

“We’re sure, it's not that.” Hiccup cut him off, “But I think he’s nearly won her over, the only problem is _us._ Every time we show up, she runs. We have to let him try.”

“And you’re sure she’s from this ‘hidden world’.” Gobber said incredulously.

“As sure as we can be. Even Eret has been able to offer information to prove it. As much as we can prove it, until we get out searching ourselves.” Valka sighed.

“We may not have time for that. I don’t expect Grimmel will be generous in how long he leaves Berk be. We have a sample of his scent, we can get tracker after him.” Gobber slumped, face resting in his hand.

Eret and Snotlout saw to it that a few Silver Phantoms were in the air before everyone retired, with a long sample of the scent of Grimmel’s blood off Astrid’s axe. Hiccup however, couldn’t bring himself to sleep and busied himself sifting through the soaked and scorched contents of his home. Valka and Astrid joined him, setting books and clothes by a refreshed fire to dry. The most important things seemed to have survived… Valka stood at Hiccup’s side, with a hand on his shoulder.

“Toothless will manage.” she offered a weak smile before retreating to her room.

Astrid followed Hiccup upstairs, sucking in a sharp breath at the state of the upper floor. A gaping hole yawned from ceiling through to the floor, and nearly everything was soaked. Hiccup’s bed was mostly spared, as was his bookshelf and chest of clothes. It was enough…

“There… never really was a chance of _this_ working, was there?” Hiccup said weakly, dropping onto his bed.

“Maybe…” Astrid sat beside him, leaning into his side, “But it's not because you didn't try. The world is huge, and we’re just one village. You’re just _one_ man.”  
She turned Hiccup’s head with a gentle touch.

“You tried. If it won’t work _now,_ we’ll make sure it can one day. _That’s_ what matters.”

Hiccup covered Astrid’s hand with his own, sighing deeply.

“I hope you’re right…”

They slept only in fits and starts, restless and weary.

Morning revealed the damage was more modest than they feared, and repairs were already well under way. They patched rooftops fist, then walls and doors. No building was a _total_ loss. Toothless returned with Cloudjumper by mid-morning, exhausted and without the Light Fury. both dragons wandered the village, shocked and appalled by the damage. Toothless sprinted between the buildings in a desperate search for his human, nearly bowling Hiccup over outside Astrid’s home. Toothless warbled in alarm, rearing up on his back legs to push Hiccup around and around, examining him for any injury. Once he caught up, Cloudjumper did the same to Valka, with a little more delicacy. Toothless finally settled on his haunches, satisfied that Hiccup was unharmed and cast his eyes around the village, then back to Hiccup. His wings and ear flaps drooped with guilt. He had been out in the woods all night, and he did nothing to protect his village-

“It's alright Bud…” Hiccup sighed, scratching the Fury’s neck, ‘It's better that you were gone. It was a hunter, and he was after _you.”_

Toothless looked to Cloudjumper, both their faces creased with worry.

“We _need_ to find the Light Fury Bud. You aren't safe here anymore.”

It was late afternoon when one of the Phantom scouts returned at breakneck speed. She tumbled out of the saddle and sprinted through the village, a concerned rumble rising in her wake until she found Hiccup at the Smithy.

“Chief! Chief Hiccup!” she huffed and puffed, breathless but frantic.

“Mila?! What happened?” Hiccup rushed to her side.

Valka and Astrid were quick to follow, as did the attention of the whole village.

“North, past Braggi’s Strait-” Mila panted, “A hunter fleet, at least _three hundred_ ships, all with cages and harpoons! It's enough for every dragon on Berk!”

Hiccup’s heart froze and cries of panic spread through the crowd. Gobber and Eret pushed through, horror dawning on their faces.

“That many cages-” Valka hissed.

“You’re _sure_ they’re heading this way?” Hiccup asked firmly.

“There’s no doubting it. But the wind, the current _and_ the tides will be against them the way they’re going. They’re five days out, maybe a week if we’re lucky.” Mila answered.

Hiccup looked to Astrid, Valka, Gobber… The distress in the village only grew.

“You heard our chief last night!” Astrid barked, loud and firm, ”This is _not_ another Drago. They don’t have one Alpha to blast in the face. I’ll bet you every one of those ships has a captain out to grab whatever they can for themselves, this _isn’t_ a unified army. It's 300 enemies ready to run us down.”

Hiccup swallowed hard, and stepped beside her, “Maybe we can fend them off, but how many will we lose? There aren't enough of us to protect all the dragons, and I _guarantee_ Grimmel will take advantage of the chaos to go after Toothless. They won't _hesitate_ to burn Berk to the ground. And they can burn a village, but that won't stop us. I say Berk is wherever _we_ go, and our best chance, _everyone’s_ best chance, is in the Hidden World. We owe it to our children, our _grandchildren,_ to build a world where we can all live in peace. That just may not be possible _here_ anymore.”

“Berk is our home! We’ve fought for it for seven generations-” a man protested.

“Aye, our ancestors did. We did too.” Gobber said, striding to stand beside Hiccup, “But we always picked fights we could survive. A few dragons, _one_ madman, that’s one thing. But _this_ armada wants nothing less than to wipe us off the map”

“And what would anger them more than denying them the satisfaction of a fight?” Valka added, and Gobber chuckled.

“There’s enough time for us to pack up everything we can. We’ve rebuilt before, as many times as it took. It’ll be harder, of _course,_ but we’re _vikings.”_ Hiccup’s pulse thundered, his back straightened, “Our ancestors found new homes from the decks of ships, and we’ll follow in their footsteps from the backs of dragons. We know they’re coming, we know where to look, and we’ll have the advantage in speed. I just need everyone here to trust me. If not for the dragons’ sake, then for _our_ history.”

The crowd murmured, but eventually all raised their hands in agreement.

Hiccup nodded solemnly, “Then we start now. We’ll take as much as we can, anything we can’t replace. Tools, clothes, supplies- All the carpenters! You’re in charge of making crates, and we’ll need all the chain and rope we can get for rigs-”

The villagers dispersed, passing Hiccup’s orders on as Gobber rallied the blacksmiths to the forge. There was plenty of lumber to build crates and platforms for barrels, they would certainly need as much as they can carry. Hiccup and Astrid parted with a quick kiss to start packing their own belongings. Hiccup stuffed everything he could fit into his trunk. Clothes, books, old design schematics… He left his firescale suit out to wear on their departure, and packed away the bronze-scaled flight suit. It was so nearly finished, only bare of scales in a few places, but otherwise functional. The surprise could wait. Hiccup was once again glad for his rather spartan nature, after everything fit into one reasonable chest. There was room still for his blankets in the morning, and- his old stuffed dragon. It had been repaired innumerable times, more new material than old, and it still looked like an odd four-legged Nadder. It embarrassed Valka to no end. But Hiccup refused to let her change it. The toy got a careful place inside the copper-scale breastplate.

Pots, pans, anvils, chisels, hammers, nets, miles of rope, livestock, food stores, healer’s herbs and tools, all the trappings of village life went into barrels and chests and crates and saddles, all fastidiously labeled. Fishlegs and Gobber cobbled together rigs for the dragons to safely carry the pallets of goods. Even whole ships were loaded and rigged for nearly a dozen dragons to haul. It was a mammoth undertaking, and anyone not busy with the bulk of the work was left to pack whatever they could carry. Family heirlooms, treasured weapons, trinkets, wedding banners, jewelry and heavy furs for winter. They even built a garden box for Gothi to bring along live plants of every healing herb they knew of, plus the wild edible plants they may not find elsewhere.

Late in the afternoon, Astrid joined Hiccup with a satchel of healing balm and bandages. Toothless was as busy as ever keeping order in the town, and Stormfly was right by his side. Hiccup called them both over, and Stormfly sniffed his hair in greeting before moving on to Astrid.

“We have to find the Light Fury Bud, she’s our only hope.” Hiccup murmured.

It was a quick flight to the clearing from the night before, where Stormfly got to work getting the scent from the boulder the Light Fury had jumped from. She sniffed and sniffed, then slowly moved forward with her nose in the ferns. They ranged all over the northern side of the island until they started turning in a very familiar direction. Soon enough, and just as they suspected, they found themselves above the cove where Hiccup found Toothless all those years ago. As luck would have it, the Light Fury blundered into that very cove, same as Toothless. Hiccup and Astrid dismounted, and Toothless dove down on his own while his humans hunkered down out of sight. Only Stormfly peered over the edge of the cliff, chirping softly and tilting her head.

The Light Fury sat in the shadows, staring intently into the pool. She lunged, and all the nearby fish scattered. Light thrilled in hunger and frustration, clawing at the dirt with her good paw. She looked to the side and- nearly shot into the low branches above when she came nose to nose with Toothless. Light scampered away, up and over an arched tree root, peeking back over the top after a moment. Toothless just sat where he was, head tilted. He turned away casting a discerning eye over the pond… Then he arched his neck and fired a measured bolt of plasma into the water. Steam exploded upwards and fish rained down on the banks, wet and wiggling. Light’s eyes snapped to the nearest fish and slowly, haltingly, she slunk over to it. She sniffed, then swallowed the fish down so fast she nearly choked. Her back arched sharply as she coughed and finally hacked up the half-chewed tail. Light shook her head, groaning, only managing a peep when toothless dropped another fish at her feet. That fish was consumed with a little more care and, now satisfied, Light curled up against Toothless’s flank. She gingerly licked her wounded paw, whining as the dead scales flaked off with the rasping of her rough tongue. At the far side of the pond, Hiccup and Astrid had taken the moment of distraction to ride Stormfly down. They hid themselves behind the Nadder, watching intently until Toothless caught Hiccup’s eye. Toothless tilted his head towards Light, flicking his tail almost as a ‘come here’ gesture. Hiccup steadied himself and crept closer, ducking under Stormfly’s neck. Hiccup was just a stone’s throw away when Light snapped to attention. She froze, watching with wide and terrified eyes as Hiccup took a few steps closer. She pressed into Toothless’s side, first whimpering, then growling as Hiccup extended a hand. Toothless huffed, scolding Light with a stern look. Then he pressed his nose into Hiccup’s palm, _thrumming_ deeply. Light watched nervously, then cast a curious glance at Stormfly. The Nadder had since given up on discretion and rolled her neck into Astrid’s arms, begging for skritches. Light rumbled uneasily but kept still as Hiccup drew a jar of ointment from his bag. She buried her face under Toothless’s wing and Hiccup dabbed the balm on her paw, then carefully wrapped the wound. He applied more of the medicine to Light’s wing then retreated a few steps, wiping his fingers in the grass.

Light slowly peeked back out, staring hard at Hiccup before examining her leg. She sniffed the bandage only to recoil, nose wrinkling in disgust. But… it smelled like healing herbs back home, and it didn’t hurt. In fact, the pain was starting to fade. The Nadder was still playing with her human, not the least bit worried about being on a _human island._ And... this Night Fury was the leader of this island, she had _seen_ it. He was making sure the dragons were safe. But the humans were leaving this place, and the dragons too! She yelped as Toothless stood, nearly knocking her over as he walked away. Light cried out and Toothless looked back, but gestured to the canyon wall. They would help her out of this place. Or- Stormfly would have to, Toothless didn’t have the room on his back. It took a little coaxing, but Stormfly helped Light wiggle up onto her back, sprawling and clinging uneasily to the saddle. Toothless carried Hiccup and Astrid, and took off with a great sweep of his wings. Stormfly followed, and the two dragons made a quick circuit of the cove to more gently build height, rising out of the cove and above the trees, and entering a casual glide back to town. Light clawed at the saddle and Astrid let a huff of annoyance slip, she had _just_ painted it- But, the little Fury stayed put until they landed at the quietest edge of town, where Cloudjumper rushed to meet them. Light tumbled off Stormfly and rushed under the cover of Cloudjumper’s wings. He huffed at anyone that got too close, and gently ushered Light to one of his quieter haunts in the trees. He gave a quick bow to Toothless as he passed, he would keep her safe and close, until morning.

The greatest hurdle was now past, Hiccup and Astrid left for their own homes. All the full crates had been sealed and left in an organized row down the main avenue of the village, rigged and ready to haul at dawn. All that was left was the personal trucks, but they had space to spare. Now, they all needed rest, with all the guards they could afford to post. They could take no chances on this last night. Valka was waiting at the Haddock home, staring into the fireplace with a steaming mug in her hands. She jolted as the door closed, but relaxed and smiled softly at the sight of her son.

“Well, you seem to be in a decent mood. I take it you found our guide?”

“We did. She’s with Cloudjumper now, he took her somewhere quiet. I managed to get something on her wounds too. If I had to guess, she was caught in a snap-trap…” Hiccup sighed, dropping his satchel on the table and taking a seat.

Valka looked around her old home, drawing in a deep breath. Smoke, old wood, dust, the salt of the sea… This was their home. But, they must let it go.

“I think we’re doing the right thing Hiccup. Many of the others do too, even if they won't admit it. The truth is, our people _must_ move eventually. Forests get over-harvested, fish move on, soil grows thin… That is the nature of being a viking, and every generation hopes it will not be on their shoulders to move on to new lands. It would happen some day, and now we have _dragons.”_ Valka rested a hand on Hiccup’s shoulder.

He smiled weakly, leaning into her embrace.

In the pre-dawn light, Hiccup dressed in his firescale armor and finished packing his trunk. His map and spyglass would go into his saddle-pack for ready access but… this was it. Trunks were hauled out of every home, stacked on the last pallets and lashed down securely, and saddles got last-minute fixes and adjustments. Now… they had to get hundreds of heavily-encumbered dragons airborne. Only the Gronckles could fly in a tight enough formation to lift the ships, so they were the first to get harnessed. Then the handling bars for the rigs were elevated on pikes for dragons to swoop down and grab from above. Piece by piece, cargo was sent on it's way. Astrid, Fishlegs and Snotlout shepherded the growing flock, guiding them West. Hiccup had to hang back with Valka, Gobber and Eret to manage the airlifts and double-check the rigs but by the time that was finished, they still had to round up the rest of the dragons. Hiccup settled in the saddle, and Cloudjumper emerged from the forest with Light perched on his back. Toothless hooted a greeting and Light peeped back, but she shrunk away from Valka as she vaulted onto Cloudjumper. Toothless launched into the foggy air, back-spines splitting and flaring Alpha-blue. He howled long and low, circling the perimeter of the city and hundreds of voices answered. Dragons poured out of nests and caves, streamed out of the forest and hangar, gathering in a loose flock behind their Alpha and mimicking his call. Cloudjumper, Skullcrusher, and Grump joined them at the head of the flock and they all turned to the west. Within seconds, Berk was lost in the mist. They easily caught up to the rest of the dragons, encumbered as they were, and Toothless took his place at the head of the flock. He led them onward and upward, finally above the fog and into the brilliant morning sun. Cloudjumper and Stormfly rose to fly at Toothless’s flanks and Hiccup double-checked their heading. Due West, that was their best hope. Light squinted against the sun and slowly, seemed to realize they were heading _home._ She looked to Toothless and he gave an encouraging rumble. Light swayed on Cloudjumper’s back, ear-flaps twitching, and slowly she aligned herself to some unseen force, pointing just a touch further north. Toothless adjusted their course until their aim was true, then he warbled, dipping closer with a happy, gummy grin. Light arched her neck proudly, and settled down like a cat for the long flight.

By mid-morning the fog was gone, and Hiccup urged the flock a little higher. Silver Phantoms ranged far from the flock to guard the rear and flanks, but so far there was not so much as a sail in the distance. But the flock couldn’t fly forever. They needed to rest, and cycle loads, and they needed a _big_ island to do that.

“Mom, Astrid!” Hiccup shouted over the wind, “We’re stopping at the next Island! It's the only one around with enough room for everyone!”

Astrid nodded, pulling Stormfly back to spread the word to the rest of the riders.

“She’s doing quite well!” Valka chuckled, pushing her helm back to sneak a glance at Light.

“Yeah! At least we’re going the right way, however long it takes.” Hiccup dared to offer a small smile to the dragon, who just tilted her head curiously.

The island rose in the distance, wide and flat, perfect for the long landings and takeoffs they had to execute. Toothless led the majority of the flock to the cliffsides to settle in while Fishlegs and Meatlug guided the Gronckle teams in to the flattest area of the plateau. Gobber and Eret waved dragons in with their crates, which they gladly dropped in neat, orderly rows. Then, they rested. Dragons and humans alike drank greedily from the small springs and ponds, rolled in the cool grass, some even had the smarts to round up the Scauldrons to plunder the seas down below for a snack.

“Alright, we’ll rest for a while and rotate carrying shifts every stop. The next good island will be closer, we can’t risk anyone getting exhausted enough to drop.” Hiccup announced.

The crowd nodded in agreement, and the word spread around the rough camp.

Hiccup flopped into the grass at Toothless’s side, both giving a long, languid stretch. They could spare an hour or two, they _had_ to if they wanted to get anywhere in one piece. But before Hiccup could relax, a faint breath stirred his hair. Toothless looked above him and thrummed, and Hiccup slowly tilted his head back. Light hovered above him, delicately sniffing his hair and armor, and she froze when she locked eyes with the human. He was wearing dragon scales but- it didn’t smell like blood or death. All the dragons here liked these humans. Light sniffed a few more times, licked Hiccup’s forehead, then scampered back to Cloudjumper to hide under his wings. Hiccup shot up, swiping the dragon drool off his face with a yelp of disgust and soon found Astrid, Valka, and Fishlegs struggling to muffle their laughter. Even Toothless rumbled a dragon-laugh at Hiccup’s expense. Hiccup just flicked the slobber clinging to his fingers at Toothless’s face.

All too soon, they had to get back in the air. All the unencumbered dragons were led off and away, while fresh dragons were given a load to carry. One by one, the flock grew and rose to a safe height, then followed Light’s heading. With the wind at their backs they made excellent time, soaring past island after island, all of them empty and barren. The sea-dragons followed in the sea below, easily keeping the main flock in their sights.

It was a long, hard day. They made three more stops before calling an end to their travels on the largest island yet, well stocked with water and game and completely free of humans. The sun was not yet down, but the next stop was likely too far to reach before dusk and it was far too dangerous to risk a night landing with all the cargo. But now, everything was organized for the morning and they could rest, set up rough tents, let the livestock graze and water… Hiccup rolled out a quilt in the dense grass, stripping off a few pieces of armor and struggling out of his breastplate. He stretched some more, and Toothless joined him, patting down the grass for a nice bed. A few modest fires flickered to life to make dinner while the Seashockers herded a school of fish up from the depths for the rest of the dragons to feed at their leisure. All seemed calm, but a few Phantoms still kept watch near and far.

Before Hiccup could relax, Toothless chirped in surprise as Light flung her full weight over his back. She scrambled for purchase, eventually parking herself on Toothless’s saddle and batting at his ear-flaps. He whined in annoyance, flicking at Light with his tail. Hiccup laughed weakly, trying to muffle the sound but he earned himself a swat too.

“Well, it seems she’s come around nicely.” Valka smiled brighter than Hiccup had seen in a good long while.

“Yeah, I’m almost surprised,” Hiccup shook his head fondly, “Still, we should let her acclimate at her own pace.”

Light hooted in alarm as she lost her footing and slipped off Toothless’s back. She tumbled and flopped to a stop right over Hiccup’s lap, burbling and cross-eyed. Light shook her head, and froze. Slowly, hunching in on herself, she turned to look at Hiccup, eyes wide and pupils narrow.

“Hey,” Hiccup said softly, keeping still, “Gotta be careful on that paw.”

Light relaxed and inched backwards until she sat neatly at Hiccup’s side. She stared, head tilting back and forth while Valka and Toothless watched with rapt fascination. Light sniffed Hiccup’s arm and his discarded armor, then turned her attention to Valka, trundling her way. Light balanced on her back legs, craning her neck to sniff Valka’s staff and the helm under her arm. Light was remarkably small, hardly reaching past Valka’s waist at her full height, there was no doubting she was a juvenile unless Light Furies were just… _tiny._

 _“Incredible-”_ Fishlegs giggled, scribbling away in his little notebook.

“Yes, you _are_ a curious one!” Valka cooed, resisting the urge to pet her.

Satisfied with her investigation, Light dropped back to all fours and ambled back to Toothless’s side, curling into a shimmering ball.

The armada fought currents and headwinds for days, finally limping into view of Berk. it was empty. No smoke rose from the chimneys, no beasts roamed the hills, and not so much as a tail twitched on the cliffs. The boats set anchor while Grimmel’s rig hauled up and away from the flagship’s deck. The warlords and a choice few of their captains followed to the docks in a rowboat, and slowly, slowly climbed the winding ramp. Grimmel waited at the top of the cliffs, smirking faintly when his employers finally crested the last ramp, gasping and wheezing. Grimmel’s free Deathgrippers followed his casual wandering through the village until he came to a stop at the steps of the Great Hall. He finally turned to the warlords, who had fanned out across the path behind him. They were livid, but Ragnar still wore his dangerously wide smile.

“Grimmel, _old friend.”_ he said through clenched teeth, “We had an agreement. One Night Fury. _One_ dragon. You came back empty-handed and now _BERK IS EMPTY.”_  
Ragnar’s voice rose to such a timber that gulls all over the island scattered.

Grimmel just scoffed.

“As I _intended._ They’ve abandoned their most valuable asset and _now_ they are running scared. They’re four days ahead, _five_ at the most. They will be heavily encumbered with all of their worldly possessions, making frequent stops-”

With a flick of his wrist, Grimmel rolled out an expansive map and draped it over a stone pedestal.

“North and East? Too many hunters, too much ice. South? Nothing but open water.” he jabbed at the map with a bolt from his quiver, “Now _here,_ to the West, chains of islands to skip their way along, islands big enough to rest and refresh their provisions. That many bodies moving will leave a trail.”

Grimmel glanced up at the warlords with a sarcastic smile.

“We _follow_ them, run them down while they’re exhausted and panicking.”

“We will _not_ be giving you any more chances Grimmel. Either you get that Night Fury, or your little pets will only be the _down payment_ on the debt you’ll be paying off.” Ragnar snarled.

He turned sharply back to the docks, and the rest of the warlords followed.

On the fifth day of their migration, the Berk flock took flight at dawn. They had run off even the furthest edges of Hiccup’s map two days ago, so now all they had was Light’s homing instinct. But she was utterly steadfast in her guidance, growing more eager by the day, by the _hour._ Fishlegs and Valka thought it meant they were growing closer, and Hiccup hoped they were right. He scanned the horizon, flicking lenses back on forth in his spyglass until a peculiar shimmer above the sea caught his attention. It was dead ahead, so it would be visible soon enough.

“I think there’s an island ahead!” he shouted to Valka and Eret, “Might be volcanic! We should keep our eyes out!”

They nodded.

The flock was weary, despite all their efforts to minimize the strain. They couldn't go on like this much longer, and Hiccup knew it. If they found a big enough island, they would need to stop for a longer rest… If Valka was right, they could scout ahead from a proper base camp to see if the Hidden World was indeed close by. For now, miles of ocean stood between them and whatever hope lay ahead.

It wasn’t a volcano.

The island rose, and rose, and kept rising as they approached, not so much an island as a _tower_ of rock that pierced the clouds. It looked like it had shear cliffs all the way around, _thousands_ of feet high, forcing the flock to climb higher to reach it's peak. At the summit, they found paradise. The Southern side was ringed about with huge glacier-encrusted mountains that curled in a protective arc around the whole island, sheltering a maze of terraced lakes and waterfalls. At the island’s center and Northern edge the lakes and ponds chained together, making dozens of small islands and plateaus, and along the cliff edge a long, flat strip of land invited them in.

“We’re stopping!” Hiccup shouted, and a great cheer answered him.

The flock fanned out with it's cargo, dropping rigs where they pleased. They dropped the loaded boats right into the lakes around the biggest, central island, and dragons without riders scattered into the new, _wild_ space. Toothless landed on a high spire above the central island, and both he and Hiccup surveyed the area. This high up, it was unlikely they would find anything but birds and other dragons, even the lakes would probably be free of fish. The outer plains on the cliffs did have a slight downward slope towards the inner lakes, that was good. Nothing could roll off the edge _too_ easily. The flat plain meandered it's way along to a great shard of cliff jutting out into the sky, long and narrow like a plow set to spear the sun as it went down. Berkians were starting to gather below, and Hiccup thought hard. With a nudge, Toothless brought them down.

“We’ll make camp here!” he announced, peeling himself off the saddle, “As high as this island is, the armada will be useless. This is the best defensive position we could’ve hoped for, so we have to take _advantage_ of it. For now, settle in, everyone needs to rest. In a few hours, I'll take a team to survey the island, just in case. We need to stay on guard.”

The villagers cheered once more, and slowly started the long process of organizing their cargo and setting up tents. Hiccup and Toothless wandered towards the outer plains, stopping along the way to point his people towards their belongings. Valka and Cloudjumper were waiting, watching Light explore in the tall grass. Toothless whooped, bounding off to join her.

“We’ll rest a while, then double back. We have to check our trail.” Valka sighed.

Hiccup nodded solemnly. They couldn't afford to be complacent, or overconfident.

“Just- be careful.” he swallowed past the lump in his throat, and hugged his mother.

Toothless and Light raced along the cliff, all the way to the spire. Light came to a screeching halt and the end, staring out over the horizon. She howled pitifully over the empty distance. They were so _close-_

“Snotlout, the _other_ peg- there!” Hiccup grunted, finally setting the pole.

The tent took shape as Fishlegs hauled up the canopy and Tuffnut fell out of the trees above with an anchor rope.

“Alright, time for the next one-” Hiccup arched his back, fighting the strain.

Before he could get far, Valka pulled him aside.

“I’m going. I’ll be back by sundown.” she said quietly.

 _“I’m_ going with you.” Eret interrupted, “If you do run into the trappers, you shouldn’t be on your own.”

Valka drew a breath to protest, but nodded slowly instead. Eret adjusted his Rumblehorn armor and called out for Skullcrusher, who had wandered off.

“Be careful Mom.” Hiccup hugged Valka tight once more, “If you find them, get out of there.”

“I _promise.”_ she swore.

Eret and Skullcrusher returned, and they all departed to the East.

Hiccup watched them go, and kept watching long after they disappeared from view. Astrid found him still looking out on the sky, and took his hand.

“They’ll be okay.” she murmured.

Hiccup just nodded, and turned back to camp.

“We need to check the island out. It's nearly twice the size of Berk, anything could be hiding in those mountains.” he groaned faintly.

“I’ll go get Fishlegs. Toothless is down at the lake.” Astrid pointed past the twin’s tent, and parted with a brief kiss on the cheek.

Hiccup found Toothless at the water’s edge, peering in with Light perched on his back, her front paws braced on the top of Toothless’s head to lean over and look further. Huffing, Toothless reared up with a flap of his wings and Light yelped, sliding down his back and tumbling into the sand. She shook herself vigorously and whined, then pounced on Toothless’s tail when he ignored her. He just rolled his eyes, only noticing Hiccup when Light started chewing on his tail and he turned to chastise her.

“She sure got you Bud. Just gonna let her eat you?” Hiccup chuckled.

Toothless huffed again, finally giving Light a gentle shove away.

“Let's get this place checked out. I'll bring him back soon, don't you worry.” he waved briefly at Light.

She gurgled, watching the gesture intently. Then, she reared up to sit on her haunches and lifted her good paw, waving it about in a passable imitation.

Cloudjumper and Skullcrusher forged ahead, following the long path they had traveled. Skullcrusher kept them on track with his impeccable skill, over miles at nearly double the speed and so far, the ocean was armada-free. But Valka wanted to be _sure._ So, they kept flying into the afternoon, getting close to the point they would have to turn back- when the wind shifted and Skullcrusher rumbled. He sniffed a few more times, angling further North.

“He’s got something!” Eret shouted.

Valka followed, and they urged the dragons higher. The islands here were small, rocky, completely barren, and then the ships appeared. They clustered around the bigger islands like flies on an open sore, but the biggest ships were in the center, at an island covered in crumbling ruins. The fleet was at anchor, but they were _far_ too close.

“Quickly, back to-” an unholy shriek cut Valka off.

A black-and-red blur dropped from the sky, barbed pincers clawing at Cloudjumpers face. Skullcrusher bellowed and charged after the entangled dragons. He fell on the black beast like a hammer, stunning it long enough for Cloudjumper to thrash it off. Skullcrusher swooped away, Cloudjuper blasted the black beast as it fell, and Valka turned-

“Eret!”

His head shot up and with a gesture Valka missed, Skullcrusher folded a wing and rolled on his side, then snapped his nose straight down. His clubbed tail followed the long arc of his body, smashing the new attacker’s head hard enough to shatter its tusks. Skullcrusher tumbled briefly, but stabilized and turned back the way they came, wings pounding furiously. Cloudjumper followed, but Valka altered their course with still in clear sight of the armada, appearing to turn _south._

“We need to throw them off!” she barked as Eret pulled up beside her.

Grimmel watched the whole encounter with quiet amusement. Before the one remaining Deathgripper could give chase, he called it back with a whistle. It returned, with bloody pincers and a limp. But the other was nowhere to be seen, probably lost to the sea. Oh well. Grimmel stooped and dabbed the blood off the dragon’s claws with his handkerchief, holding it up for the beast to sniff. It drew the scent in deep, then sampled the wind, looking off the way the riders had fled. They had their trail.

Fishlegs, Astrid, Hiccup, even _Gobber_ made several circuits of the island, managing to make a rough map and catalogue of it's resources. There were a few caves along the cliffs and in the mountains, perhaps hiding some Whispering Deaths or Quakens. But water was plentiful, supplied by the glaciers and snow in the Great Mountains then cascading in staged pools towards camp. The environment existed in a delicate balance, so many dragons could cause irreparable damage…

They returned to the camp, landing on the outer bluff and letting their dragons go their own way. Well, except for Grump, who fell fast asleep where he hit land.

“So, this place seems _nice.”_ Gobber said pointedly.

Hiccup knew this would come about sooner or later.

“It is.” he agreed, “And we’ll stay here while Mom and I scout ahead. The Hidden World is _close,_ I know it.”

“And what if it _isn't?_ Or it's not what you're hoping it is? Berk _is_ it's people, but you can only ask them to sacrifice so much. Even _you_ don't know what’s out there, so- don't gamble with their lives lad.” Gobber looked so, so tired in that moment.

“I don't intend to.” Hiccup promised, “We’re in a better position to fight back, at this height all we’ll need to worry about is-”

Frantic roars interrupted him and Cloudjumper and Skullcrusher fell from the sky. Cloudjumper’s face was streaked with blood from the wounds on his crest and frills, both Hiccup and Valka rushed to help him. The wounds looked shallow enough, but he looked beyond exhausted and Valka was ashen-pale. Cries of alarm, both human and dragon, rose in the camp.

“Grimmel, the armada- they're too close.” Valka hissed.

“Three days, in the weather holds.” Eret added.

Within moments, Toothless and Light sprinted across the bluff, skidding to a stop and Cloudjumper’s side. The great Stormcutter gingerly laid himself down, managing a _thrumm_ when Light charged forward to bonk their foreheads together.

“His dragons attacked, but we put them in their place. I doubt they're good trackers, but we can't assume they won't find us.” Eret yanked his helmet off with a grunt.  
Gobber limped over, taking the helmet so he could get more armor off. Skullcrusher sighed, nosing against Gobber’s arm.

“Aye, you get some rest too ya overgrown beetle…” he patted the dragon’s neck.

“We need to look for the Hidden World, tomorrow.” Hiccup said, voice thick, “We can find someone else to carry Light if Cloudjumper still needs rest.”

Valka nodded solemnly, and Light stayed with them, standing on her back legs to wave her paw at Hiccup and Astrid as they returned to camp.

“The Seashockers and Sliquifiers have caught up, we could get a few nets in the water before the sun goes down…” Hiccup mumbled, thinking aloud.

“We can get the twins on that, tell them it's a contest and we’ll _feast.”_ Astrid cracked a small smile, linking her hand with Hiccup’s and swinging their arms as they walked.

“We need to tell everyone, about the armada. We can drop rocks on the ships, I'm sure there’s plenty in the mountains. And we’ll need to get our supplies somewhere safe.” he continued.

“Snotlout, and Fishlegs. And Gobber to wrangle everyone.” Astrid shook her head.

Astrid was right of course. Hiccup thought of what needed doing, Astrid made it happen. If, it didn't involve the smithy. Together, they made a good chief. Not like Stoick of course, but… they tried.

The villagers were aware of something happening, two notable dragons sprinting to the island was hard to miss. They watched. And waited as Hiccup and Astrid returned, gathering in the central plaza.

“Everyone-” Hiccup called out, “Valka has found the armada, and they’re only a few days off. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you're in charge of the fishing now that the sea dragons are here. Fishlegs, we’ll need to move all the crates somewhere safe, and Snotlout- _Snotlout.”_

Snotlout snapped awake with a snort, flailing and nearly falling out of Hookfang’s saddle.

“You’re in charge of defenses. Get stone from the mountains and pile it by the cliffs. Gobber will be in charge while Astrid and I try to find the Hidden World tomorrow.” Hiccup said firmly, “If we find what we’re looking for, we’ll come right back. Otherwise, we’ll return by midday. _This_ is our best chance to make a stand. The reign of the hunters stops _here.”_

More than a cheer rose from the villagers, their voices built to a thunderous roar that their dragons joined. But, there were still tents that needed work, and if they set up at least part of their smithy they could cobble together some catapults perhaps… No, they had their dragons and the sky, all the armada had was Grimmel who might well be down a Deathgripper. They could trust their dragons, as much as each other. There was little they could do with the sun on it's way down though, except get ready for a long, well-earned rest. Dragons crammed as much of themselves as possible into their riders’ tents, unwilling to put even a little distance between them. Toothless thought, he took it to a whole new level, helping himself to the whole of Hiccup’s bed. Hiccup, too tired to protest, just grabbed a blanket and crawled under his wing and fell right to sleep.

  
A long, hard sleep was what everyone needed. Gobber and Snotlout got right to work, assigning tasks for after breakfast while the twins got themselves tangled in a fishing net. Astrid slumped against Hiccup’s shoulder, half-asleep with a bowl of hot oatmeal in her lap. Stormfly brooded behind her, nose gently pressed against Astrid’s back. Toothless wasn’t much better, jamming his head into Hiccup’s lap so Hiccup had to rest his own bowl on the dragon’s head. Cloudjumper and Valka slogged to the cooking fire, likewise exhausted.

“Are you sure you’re up to this flight?” Valka asked softly, sitting beside them.

“I think so. We just need a little time to wake up, and a good meal.” Hiccup answered.

Miraculously, the twins got the net sorted and rallied the Zippleback fishing team, carrying the wide scoop-nets between their heads. The Seashockers circled around a school of fish below so the Zipplebacks could swoop in again and again, filling their nets and returning to the cliffs to dump their catch in great, wiggling piles. _That_ roused Stormfly and Toothless, and Cloudjumper followed with Light still hiding under his wings.

“So, Light can point us in the right direction, but we can’t search for more than a few hours. Our priority is fortifying the island and stopping the armada.” Hiccup jabbed at his oatmeal, unable to eat.

Valka nodded, “If we’re _this_ close to the Hidden World, we can't let Grimmel and the warlords find it. It would be as a gold mine, _exactly_ what their dying trade needs. We must defend it, and everything in it.”

“Especially if that’s where the Light Furies are from… They would have never dealt with hunters before, and they probably don't have a fear of humans. They're sitting ducks.” Hiccup kneaded his temples, “That’s probably how Light got captured in the first place.”

With Gobber awake and running the camp, Hiccup and Astrid left to get ready, dressing in their firescale armor. Toothless, Stormfly, Cloudjumper and Light were waiting at the cliff, and Valka joined them on the way with her helmet and staff. Light scrambled up Cloudjumper’s back, wiggling all over like a fish. The riders took their places and the dragons leapt into the air. Cloudjumper settled in the lead with Light pointing them homeward, while Hiccup took careful notes of their heading on a new map. They passed over open ocean, miles upon miles of empty blue stillness, skimming clouds and shimmying through cross-currents. After nearly an hour, a cloud rose in the distance, or so Hiccup assumed.

But it was no cloud. The back of fog grew high and spread far, hiding none of the thunder within. Light howled, ushering them onward. Climbing above the fog, the roar of the falling water only grew in strength until they were blown back by a wall of rising, salty air. The dragons banked sharply, riding the wind-wall around the gaping hole in the world. The ocean just fell and fell into the great Caldera Gate, throwing off mist that drifted up and away to mask the ring of crags pricked all over with hundreds of shipwrecks. At Light’s insistence, Cloudjumper and the others powered through the updraft and hovered over the gaping chasm. Before any of them could make another move, Light dove right off Cloudjumper’s back into the misty throat of the Gate. With a shriek of alarm Toothless bolted after and Hiccup screamed, barely hanging on. Cloudjumper and Stormfly quickly dove after.

Light and Toothless miraculously didn't break themselves on the great towers of stone within the Caldera. They swerved wildly around the obstacles, in between the waterfalls dashing themselves to mist and rain. The rain filled a giant pool below the Gate, overflowing into great channels and pools in the distance. Huge chasms split the cavern floor in between the rivers, the red glow in their impossible depths telling of their danger. The new underground ocean flowed into many tunnels, all but one hidden in the darkness and only just accessible on the wing. Light led them on, wingtips skimming the surface with every beat. The tunnel did not stay dark for long.

Riders and dragons alike went slack-jawed in awe. Great pillars of stone rose from the floor to a ceiling unseen, greater in scale and majesty than any forest to have ever lived on the surface. The spires were encrusted with mushroom-like growths that glowed like rainbow embers, filling the whole cavern with a strange light that illuminated even stranger, new patterns on the dragons as they flew deeper. Violet, starry patches blossomed all over Toothless, and even parts of Hiccup’s armor, glowing faintly with some inner light. Stormfly and Cloudjumper too blazed gold and rose and blue, as did Light when she circled back to them. She flared ghostly-blue, shimmering like Arvundil’s fire as she chided the others for dawdling. The Star Towers went on and on, eventually leading to staggered pools deep enough to accommodate a host of aquatic dragons, spectral in the strange light. Empty pools had been made into nests for dragons yet unseen, and even the eggs sparked like lanterns as Toothless stirred the air with a wingbeat. The fire-bright covering on the spires above scattered as Light swooped by, revealing the whole formation to be a flock of hundreds, maybe thousands of dainty Fireworms that gathered briefly around the visitors before scattering into the distance.

Finally, the end of the chamber and another tunnel materialized in the shadows as the Tower’s light dwindled. Light grew tired and landed once more on Cloudjumper’s back, urging them onward, _onward!_ This tunnel was not just stone, it was crystal studded with more of the strange mushrooms, transparent and channeling the light from the chamber beyond. The far end of the tunnel grew brighter and brighter, almost _blinding,_ but Toothless forged ahead-

Only to almost drop out of the air in shock.

Toothless dropped sharply, barely catching himself before he collided with a mammoth shelf-mushroom. The chamber opened impossibly wide, further even than the Star Towers, and a tower-island of basalt pillars and crystal spires rose in the distance from the bottomless chasm. More mushroom-encrusted stone columns filled the cavern between them and the island, and in the air all around them, dragons flew free. Timberjacks, Raincutters, and Zipplebacks swooped between the huge mushroom platforms, some even hooting a greeting to the new dragons. Light thrilled, it was just a little more! The slowly, slowly approached the glowing crystal island, and Toothless finally had to land on one of the titanic red mushrooms, looking around in awe. The dragons flocked densely here, around a luminous crystal mountain on the ground and crystal-needle chandelier above. The densely-packed stone pillars made the Crystal Ballroom into a sort on chamber-within-a-chamber, and dragons roosted on the fungus shelves and caves and grottoes. Rumblehorns, Gronckles, Snafflefangs, Nadders, Thornridges, even a few Skrills filled the air, calling raucously to each other. Stormfly and Cloudjumps landed beside Toothless, almost skidding on the slick mushroom floor. Astrid, Valka, and Hiccup all wrenched their helmets off, fighting tears.

Light flopped off the Stormcutter’s back, crying out with all her might as she raced to the edge of the shelf. A startled ripple passed through the chamber as idle dragon-chatter came to an abrupt stop, and thousands of eyes trained on the riders and their dragons. Everything held still, as if hesitating to breathe.

Something, something _massive,_ roared just out of sight causing the dragons on the ground to scatter in alarm. Toothless snarled, bolting in front of Light as a Bewilderbeast surged into view.

“Is that-?!” Astrid shrieked, nearly falling off Stormfly as the dragon bucked under her.

 _“Hiccup!”_ Valka cried.

It was a muddy-grey Bewilderbeast, missing it's left tusk with an iron cuff around the one that remained. It could be none other than the Bewilderbeast they fought not a year before. Toothless _screamed,_ spines flaring bright blue as his back arched sharply, preparing to fire. The Bewilderbeast skidded to a harsh stop, eyes wide with recognition. He hunkered down, breathing hard, and he bowed his head, lowering his gaze. The alarmed squawking redoubled around the cavern, but one dragon-voice came closer. A Light Fury fluttered down, landing as far from the Berk flock as it could and it called plaintively to Light. She hooted, bounding out from behind Toothless to tackle the much larger Fury, babbling in delight. With the ice broken, a dozen other Light Furies of all sizes descended at once, crowding around their lost little Light. Toothless relaxed, and Hiccup looked back to Astrid and Valka, pale and still shaking. He eased out of the saddle, hiding behind Toothless as he took careful backwards steps towards the others. Toothless watched Hiccup retreat, until Light managed to extricate herself and sprint back over. She panted, wiggling all over until she braced herself against Toothless’s side, shoving him towards her family. He warbled in surprise, briefly glancing back to Hiccup, who waved him on. The Light Fury clan had huddled together, young hiding under the adults as Toothless inched closer, sitting back on his haunches a few lengths away. Light cooed, leaning into his side then climbing onto his back, beaming at her family. One Fury kit slunk forward, crawling with it's belly along the ground until it was close enough to sniff Toothless’s tail, cooing in confusion at the red fin. It pawed at the device, voice rising in alarm-

Another familiar howl cut the Light Fury off, and it scrambled back to it's parents. Toothless snapped to attention, returning to his humans with a quick sweep of his wings. He peered into the shadows and overhanging shelves, wings spread to hide Hiccup, until something stepped into the light, just above and to the right.

A Night Fury.

Old, scarred, missing half it's left leg and an eye, staring down at Toothless. He wilted, staring in heartbroken awe even as the elder Fury dropped heavily to their level. It lurched closer with labored, limping steps, slowly sniffing the air. Only a step away, it stopped. It leaned closer, and sniffed more deeply still.

 _“A Night Fury.”_ Hiccup said weakly, dropping to his knees.

“A _female.”_ Valka added, suddenly at his side.

“Could it-” Astrid whispered, not daring to say what they all thought.

The elder cried out sharply, and old, unspeakably wounded sound, and she butted her head against Toothless’s. More bright eyes, green and gold, lurked just out of sight in the shadows, watching the Furies and the strangers.

 _“He’s not the only one.”_ tears flowed freely down Hiccup’s cheeks.

The scarred Fury snapped to attention, lone eye honing it's malice on Hiccup, then Valka and Astrid. She snarled, but Toothless and Light stood in her way, poised in quiet defiance. Scar stared at them long and hard, until Toothless turned back on himself and shoved his head into Hiccup’s hands. He swept his tail in front of his feet, twitching his good fin while the red leather remained still. Scar eyes the prosthetic warily, lurching a few steps closer to sniff the fin and cables, lip curled in… disgust? Distrust? Toothless almost growled when Scar moved to sniff Hiccup and his armor, but Hiccup held a hand up to halt his protest. He held stock-still, lowering his gaze as the ancient dragon drew in the scent of- old dead scales, and _spit?_ She snorted, shaking her head. Old scales, sheep skin, hair, plants… no dead dragons. And the others were the same. One even mimicked the great Ocean Beast, and their dragons stayed close to their sides.

With Scar’s apparent, if tentative approval, the other Night Furies emerged from their hiding places. Only one or two had the same green eyes, the other dozen or so were amber-eyed, but all were undeniably _Night Furies._ One, then a few more approached Toothless and Scar for a sniff-greeting, all while Light leaned into Toothless’s side, thrumming contentedly.

“We’ve been gone too long.” Valka murmured, “We can find it again, we need to go.”

Hiccup stared blankly at Toothless’s tail, before slowly nodding. Astrid helped Hiccup to his feet and the gathered Night Furies flinched back. Toothless chirped, looking back expectantly, but his face fell at the sight of Hiccup’s tears. He crooned in concern, nudging Hiccup’s hands with his nose.

“I’m sorry Bud, we have to go back.” Hiccup turned to the hard gaze of Scar. _“Dangerous_ men are coming, and we’re going to stop them. We won't let them find this place, I _swear_ it.”

Scar considered him, hard and unyielding, then turned to Toothless. He looked to the Fury clans, and the other dragons gathered to shyly watch. Nadders, Nightmares, Thunderclaws, even two Stormcutters peered down from their perches, chattering among themselves. Then, he turned back to Hiccup and they shared a long, knowing look. Dragons _belonged_ here, and maybe Toothless did too. And that meant he needed the freedom to fly on his own, without-

Without Hiccup.

“We need to go. I'm sorry.”

Hiccup climbed back into the saddle, locking his leg into place. Light cried out in alarm and confusion, trying to climb onto Toothless’s back but he gently pushed her down and bumped their heads together. He nudged her towards her family, and slogged towards the edge of the shelf, looking back the way they came. With heavy wings, he took off, with Stormfly and Cloudjumper following after. The Fury Clans cried out in desperate protest and gave chase, trailing behind or sprinting ahead to fly above and below, at least until they reached the tunnel, which forced them to fly single-file.

Among the Star Towers, the Furies fanned out, still calling to Toothless from all sides. He howled mournfully, and Hiccup patted his neck.

“I’ll think of something Bud, I promise…” he murmured.

At the base of the Caldera Gate, the pursuing Furies peeled away, avoiding the faint sunlight and they just watched the Berk dragons vanish into the mist. Light let out one last pitiful wail, until Scar nudged her, only offering a sad, knowing look.

The flight back to New Berk was short, but silent. Astrid and Valka watched on as Hiccup stared blankly at Toothless’s saddle, thinking hard. The Hidden World wasn’t just a sanctuary, it was nearly a paradise for the dragons. Surely there was food somewhere, and the dragon waste probably sustained all the massive fungi that in turn provided shelter and light. _Night Furies_ had found a home there, and- Toothless should be able to see his own kind, his _family._ He needed the auto-tail that he had rejected all those years ago…

They returned to Tower Island and a rallying cry through the village. Many of the crates had been organized or hidden away, but everything for the smithy was gathered in the center. Hiccup rushed right to the crates and rummaged through them frantically, until Gobber hauled him out.

“What’s going _on_ lad?” he groused, barely masking his exasperation.

Many of the villagers had followed or stopped to watch, murmuring amongst themselves.

“We _found_ it Gobber, it's everything we hoped for. Everything and _more.”_ Hiccup swallowed hard, raking his hands through his hair, “There were whole families of Light Furies. Gobber, there were _Night Furies, 20_ of them or Stoick wasn't my father! And one of them may just be Toothless’s _mother.”_

Hiccup grabbed Gobber by the shoulders and shook him, while shock rippled through the crowd.

“They- they’re _safe_ there, no hunter could ever get in without a dragon. All these years, because Toothless couldn't fly without me he's been in danger. Every madman that's ever come our way, every one that ever _will-_ Toothless is a target. And… the Alpha must protect them all.”

Hiccup sagged, and Gobber caught him under the arms.

 _“Hiccup,_ what-” Gobber shook his head, aghast, “You want to just let him _go?_ After everything you two have been through?”

“He’s not mine to _keep_ Gobber.” Hiccup said firmly, “He’s the only one that can't fly on his own, and that isn't _fair._ He isn't safe relying on me, not when we both have a duty bigger than- bigger than just the two of us. They belong somewhere they can live safely, _freely,_ without worrying about warlords and trappers. It wouldn't be the end, it's so _close_ they could come here whenever they wanted-”

The crowd drew closer, watching expectantly as Hiccup took a deep breath to steady himself. Astrid, Valka, Eret and the other riders pushed closer, and Toothless clambered over a stack of crates to shove himself under Hiccup’s arm. He crooned, looking at Hiccup, then Westward.

“We will stay here, and here we will build New Berk. But-” he held up a hand to silence the cheers, “We have to defend it first. The Hidden World is better than we ever could have hoped, and we can't let the armada find it. We have our dragons, we have an island they can't touch. The hunter’s reign ends _here.”_

Dragons joined the Berkians in their war cry.

“We’re on the right track, keep on with what you’ve been doing. Gobber and I will set up the forge.” Hiccup ordered, and turned back to the crates.

“So, what _are_ you after then?” Gobber scooped up a stack of parchment scrolls.

 _“This,_ ha!” he dropped a scroll on a crate and smoothed it open.

“This old thing?” Astrid peered at the diagram, “But, he didn’t _want_ it before.”

“We have to move past what we want… We can't always be there for each other, even at the best of times. I can walk, so Toothless deserves to have his autonomy too.”  
Hiccup sighed, weighing down the edges of the blueprint, “I can re-use most of the base, re-paint the leather… We just need to build in a gear box.”

Astrid pressed her lips together, and covered Hiccup’s hands with her own.

“We’ll keep the camp running, take your time on this.”

Hiccup nodded, and Astrid left with a kiss.

“Alright, what do we need?” Gobber set a few hammers down.

They broke down an old spare tail, stripping off the leather skin and Gobber built up the forge. Even Eret helped, rallying a few dragons to stoke the fire as he bickered with Gobber like they had been married for decades. Hiccup just shook his head, and got back to work drafting a new gear system and setting up the casting pots. Toothless watched intently for a time, perched like a cat on a pile of crates, before growing bored and wandering off for food.

The day wore long, and Hiccup grew weary in his work. The gears needed painstaking attention to detail, even with Gobber and Eret’s help. Toothless returned and curled up close to the forge to bask in it's heat, allowing Hiccup to test and retest the fit of pieces as they were finished. Astrid brought dinner, even a few fish for Toothless and Skullcrusher, and watched for a while after as Hiccup worked. Valka came by a little later, watching with rapt fascination as Hiccup filed and polished the Gronckle iron gears.

“Incredible…” she brushed the blueprint open to stare at the diagrams and new notes.

“That’s the old model, one I made… _five_ years ago? During the first Snoggletog with dragons on Berk.” Hiccup chuckled, “Though I missed a few days thanks to Meatlug. All the dragons got swept up in a migration to this volcanic, hot spring-island to lay their eggs. Toothless couldn't join the others, so… I made this. So he could fly on his own. But in the end, he didn't _want_ it. He wanted the one I made for us to fly together.”

He sighed shakily, and Valka rounded the table to wrap him in a hug.

“You are right, and this is what needs to be done, for both of you. I've _been_ him Hiccup, the only one of my kind in a world where I don’t quite belong. But I’m home, and we've finally found _his_ family. He can come back to see us, they all can. Well… Toothless will _need_ to of course, to keep his tail working.” she idly brushed Hiccup’s hair back, “Sometimes, we have to make sacrifices for the ones we love, but it doesn't have to be forever. And it doesn't mean your relationship has to _end._ You just… won't have as much time for each other as you used to. “

Hiccup hugged Valka tight for a time, feeling so, so _tired,_ until Valka pulled back.

“Now, what’s all this about _missing Snoggletog?”_

As the sun set, a shimmering white dragon wove between the tents and boxes, determined but exhausted. She sniffed along, following a scent to a loud, hot area out in the open among the tents. Her nose wrinkled, but- there! Light snuck around the edge of camp and slowly crept up on her Night friend, who seemed to be asleep. That was fine, she was tired too. Light yawned, and shoved herself under Toothless’s wing to snuggle up for the night-

Toothless yowled in alarm, flopping and flailing over himself in a half-lucid daze. He froze in a tangle of limbs, eyes wide and chest heaving, until Light’s confused chirp caught his attention. Gobber and Hiccup had rushed back from the dinner line, but slowed to a stop to watch over the top of a crate with barely-muffled laughter. Toothless noticed, and huffed in annoyance, batting Light gently with a paw. He settled and stretched, before it sunk in that Light _flew here on her own._ He crooned, anxiously looking her over and sniffing her injured wing until Hiccup approached with more of the soothing salve. Light huffed, but allowed Hiccup to apply it to her sore wing. Toothless yawned long and wide, and nudged Light towards Hiccup’s tent to retire for the night. The tail was nearly finished, the rest could wait for the morning…

Dawn saw more of the same frantic activity, especially at the smithy. Hiccup spent a good hour grooming Toothless for loose scales to make a fireproof paint for the whole auto-tail, he was taking _no_ chances this time. Plus… it would look more natural, so Toothless could camouflage properly, and mingle with the other dragons. Light watched from up in a tree, occasionally turning her attention to the rest of the camp. Without all the buildings, it was almost like home, but all the colors of the old place were almost like home too. The outside world was _strange._

The new tail was finished. Hiccup left it open on the table for the firescale-paint to cure, and slowly stripped Toothless of his saddle and cables, working his wad down to the red fin. With trembling hands, he unbuckled the prosthetic, folded the fin and slowly, methodically, packed the tack away. He would still need a saddle to not stab Toothless with his old peg-leg, but he would get that done later. Toothless looked long and hard at the new tail, ear-flaps drooping. This… might just be the end of their era. Their rule together, as one.

“I know Bud. No matter where you go, you're always welcome here. You're _still_ my best friend.” Hiccup sniffed, and flung his arms around Toothless.

Toothless keened, rearing up on his back legs to grapple Hiccup closer in a crushing hug, nuzzling into his hair.

They stayed like that for a time, until Toothless’s back ached from the strain and Hiccup nearly buckled under his weight. Toothless dropped back to all fours, groaning and stretching while Hiccup fetched the auto-tail. He belted the cuff to Toothless’s tail, clipping the lever to the leading bone spur of the right fin. The moulded leather half-tube fit snugly around the remaining length of his tail, ending in another belt below the last fin-spine. Hiccup checked and re-checked the belts and gears, then stepped away to let Toothless take control. Hesitantly, he stretched out his good fin, and the auto-tail mirrored it perfectly, flaring both fins wide. He opened and closed the fin a few more times, then gave his tail a few good shakes to test it's strength. Light dropped down from her perch, slinking closer to watch the device over Toothless’s shoulder. She chirped, looking expectantly at him, then swung her tail around to mimic the exploratory flicks of his fins. Light bounded away, goading Toothless to follow with her wings half-spread. Toothless looked to Hiccup, who smiled softly.

“Go on, go have fun.” he waved the dragons off.

Toothless hooted, racing after Light. Hiccup watched them go, then turned back to the saddle. It only needed the under-tail band now, and he could remove the heavy metal cable channels from the chest harness, plus all the cables. Leave the stirrups as they were… the work would keep his mind occupied, for a while at least.  
The two Furies bounded through the camp, vaulting over tents and crates and crowds and every moment airborne, Toothless had to re-learn to fly on his own. He could operate his own tail, there was no rider to communicate with for wait on, and yet… he still expected the tail to move on it's own. Light led him to the cliffs and leapt into the air, soaring freely, but Toothless hesitated. He stared into the open sky, then looked back to his new tail. Slowly, he opened the auto-tail, took a deep breath, _jumped-_  
And he _flew._

He wobbled at first, barely steadying himself through a crosswind, but he _remembered_ this. The power, the freedom- Light called out, leading him onward to explore. His flock had spread out through the forests and mountains, finally finding peace and space… but they would have to leave yet again. At least the Hidden World was safe, close, secret…

Toothless and light wove in and out of waterfalls, chasing the mist down to the ocean to play with the sea dragons that leapt from the depths to greet them. Light squealed and batted at the snout of a curious Scauldron that got too close, so Toothless led them back up the tower. Light flew just behind his left wing, tumbling in his wake as they swooped over camp. Hiccup watched as they passed, over the camp and off to the depths of the island with Stormfly hot on their heels. Astrid watched them as well, but returned to helping Hiccup with the saddle.

“We’ll need to keep watch, gotta have all the warning we can get…” Hiccup sighed, trimming a bit of leather and waxing more thread.

“The Silver Phantoms are ready to go, I’ll go tell Eret.” Astrid said.

“Tell me what?” Eret huffed, rounding a stack of crates to drop the barrel he was carrying.

“We need the Phantom fliers out on perimeter runs, now and through the night. Teams of two, the usual.” Hiccup answered.

Eret nodded, and left to hunt down the recon riders.

“We’ll be ready Hiccup. We've dealt with worse before.” Astrid said firmly.

Hiccup nodded, and turned back to the saddle.

  
Light swooped and tumbled between the treetops, daring Toothless to follow and as his confidence grew, he did. He had flown like this back in the Volcano Nest he had crashed into soon after he could fly, when he fled his home island as it was razed by… _something._ He could barely remember it, just trees, a cave, the scent of his family… He thought he was the only one to escape, but maybe he got away faster than his mother could track him back down. She was alive and safe now in the Hidden World, and he could return to her soon. Maybe he could convince the other Furies to visit, and get Hiccup to make a prosthetic like his for his mother. Maybe, he could start his own family, like Hiccup surely would. Their children could grow up together, like proper nest-mates. Thought, it would take a while, eggs didn’t hatch overnight. But they had time, they could figure it out.

Light hooted, leading Toothless to a cave in the side of a jagged peak. Both dragons landed and peered inside. If there were any naitive dragons here, they should join the migration too, when the time came. Toothless howled into the cave, and the rattling hiss of a Whispering Death answered. The long dragon surged to the entrance only to stop quickly and it piled up on itself so hard it bowled over, all at the sight of Toothless’s Alpha glow. Toothless snorted and the Whisperer bowed, chattering uneasily, then it retreated and the Furies returned to the sky.

The mountains to the East and South were titanic, doubtless full of the minerals and metals Berk would need to flourish. Despite the relative summer heat, the peaks were still freshly capped in snow that fed the glaciers and rivers. Stormfly finally caught up after numerous distractions, squawking at Toothless and wiggling with excitement. Toothless hooted back, showing off his new tail and performing a few neat tumbles and spins. Stormfly chirped, bobbing her head as she stared and Light mimicked her from Toothless’s other side. Toothless just snorted in amusement.

The flock of three swung back towards camp, skimming over the great forest. The expanse was broken in places by slow, placid lakes and huge stone teeth. They shouldn't stray far, not with hunters on the way, and Toothless couldn't let anything happen to Light. Not when her family would be counting on him back home. Maybe Lump or Thump could watch her once the battle started, which it surely would. Hiccup must have a plan, the Silvers were out keeping watch after all.

Stormfly led the Furies right back to Hiccup and Astrid, begging for attention the second she landed. Light stuck to Toothless’s side, flinching at the sound of hammer striking anvil, until Hiccup joined them with the modified saddle.

"Here, let's get somewhere quiet…” he murmured.

Toothless ushered Light along, and the five found a nice spot down by one of the lakes, only occasionally bothered by a dragon swooping in for a drink. Stormfly wallowed into the sand while Light watched, and eventually mimicked her. Astrid took a seat on a fallen log, shucking off her boots and socks to bury her feet in the sand with a long, deep sigh. Toothless hesitated for just a moment when Hiccup held up the saddle, but the wash of guilt stopped any further protest. This was _Hiccup,_ nothing was going to change! He never was a prisoner, and he wouldn't be now. If they were going to fight, Hiccup needed to ride safely to lead. But the saddle was different now, the heavy cuffs were gone from around his legs, there were no cables restraining his movement… Yes, this was good, _better._ They would be _unstoppable._

 _“There._ Once this is over… you'll have to lead them home Bud. Maybe if it looks like dragons are gone, hunters will leave the archipelago for good. Then… maybe there's hope for peace. People might just forget they were ever afraid of dragons, and we can start with a clean slate.” Hiccup sighed. It was a fool’s hope, but it was _hope._

He stumbled over to the log, dropping to sit next to Astrid and he slowly removed his boot, glad for the fresh air. Astrid watched him, then Stormfly and Light bob their heads back and forth, back and forth, communicating in their own way.

“We couldn't keep _this_ many dragons here forever…” she mused, “And if they spread as far as they used to, the hunters could come back. We would need allies far and wide to _keep_ them out. More than the Outcasts and Wingmaidens, as many as we could get. And maybe… a break from dragons is exactly what will _finally_ work. A new generation that can see the truth for themselves, if they just let us show them. Because this is _their_ world too, no matter how pretty the Hidden World is. They deserve the sky, and the sea…”

Slowly, Astrid ran out of steam, and leaned against Hiccup’s side.

He sighed, and nodded, “Their survival comes first. As long as they're still here, _anything’s_ possible.”

Toothless thrummed, settling into the sand beside his rider.

The night ended early, they couldn't sacrifice what could be their last full night of rest. There would be time for celebration later. The morning saw a huge bank of fog surrounding the island, almost like the ocean had risen to meet them. Even the sound of the waves was lost in the mist, it was so thick. Uneasy, Hiccup ordered the tents packed away and provisions stored, then patrols doubled. They needed the Thunderclaws out as well as the Phantoms, the fog was perfect cover for three hundred ships…  
“Overnight patrol is back, no news.” Eret announced, joining Hiccup for breakfast.

“Good. there's still time to gather more stone, and there's plenty of fish from yesterday. This fog _needs_ to burn off…” Hiccup frowned, looking out to the horizon.

 _Anything_ could be down there.

After breakfast, work resumed and tents all over New Berk fell. Dragons hauled cargo away from the cliffs and deeper inland, while Gobber set about sharpening swords and axes. Still fighting the unease in his gut, Hiccup retreated to his tent to get into his firescale armor. Being fireproof and having his own wings, being as close to a dragon as he could ever hope to be… it soothed something deep down, past his bones and right into his soul. It felt _right,_ even if the armor is stiff and hot and not particularly comfortable. It was a small price to pay. But Hiccup’s unease returned all too soon when he couldn’t spot Toothless in the camp.

“Astrid, have you seen Toothless?” he caught her digging out her own armor.

“Yeah, on the cliffs near that big spire-” she started.

Hiccup was already gone by the time she turned around. She rolled her eyes, but quickly waved Valka over from her hiding place in the trees.

“He can be mad at me later, the armor won't do you any good sitting in a chest.”

They snuck to Hiccup’s tent and Astrid removed the Stormcutter armor from his trunk piece by piece, replacing the stuffed dragon when it flopped out of the breastplate. Valka marveled at the whole collection, the spiked boots and clawed bracers and frilled helm, all in Cloudjumper’s bronze scales. The same iron-framed gliding wings as in Hiccup’s suit were built into the back of the breastplate, folded neatly and waiting.

“I- I _couldn't-”_ Valka stammered.

Astrid shrugged, “It's already made. We need to be ready.”

Valka pressed her lips together and nodded firmly.

Hiccup slowly, painstakingly, made his way to the cliffs. The crowds were thick, and he had to stop every so often to help with a tent or crate or harness, but there was still no word from the scouts, for good or ill. He could afford to take a little time. When he finally broke free, he found the Furies flying along the cliff, looping back and forth. Light demonstrated her vanishing trick again, hurling out a plasma blast and diving through the fire, bundled up in her wings. Smoke and embers scattered in her wake, but Light was nowhere to be seen. Hiccup chuckled at Toothless’s confusion, and nearly doubled over when the dragon squawked in alarm after something unseen batted at his ear-flaps. Slowly, Light faded back into view, babbling in delight just beyond the edge of the cliff. She circled higher calling to Toothless and urging him to try. He was a Fury too, maybe he could do her trick? Humoring her, Toothless reared back and spat a plasma charge, diving through as Light had, but when he cracked an eye open he was just as black as before. Huffing, Toothless wheeled back and skimmed the grass as he landed to stomp his way over to Hiccup. He groused and grumbled, tail lashing at the grass while Hiccup laughed weakly. Light chirped up above and performed her trick again, thought only Hiccup watched.

“I guess her scales are different-” he was cut off by an unholy shriek.

A massive blur of black and red armor knocked Hiccup to the ground, driving the breath from his lungs as it's weight bore down on him. Toothless roared thunder, slamming into the Deathgripper but before he could blast it away, pain flared hot and bright in his flank. He twisted to rip the bolt from his thigh, and the Deathgripper took the chance to beat Toothless away with it's tail and pin Hiccup again as he tried to crawl away. Toothless tumbled, tried to get to his feet- but try as he might, he couldn't muster the strength He toppled, clawing at the grass as his vision went black.

 _“Toothless-!”_ Hiccup writhed, but the Deathgripper’s huge stinger curled forward, cradling his throat.

He froze, chest heaving, as Grimmel’s war-rig sailed up and over the cliff spire. A massive chain harness dropped from the gondola just before the rig landed, and once settled, Grimmel strode easily out onto the trampled grass. A great cry rose in the camp, but Grimmel just rolled his eyes.

“Bravery is _wasted_ on fools like you.” he sneered, dropping a coil of chain from his shoulder and letting it unravel as he approached.

With a snap of his fingers, the Deathgripper shifted, stepped back, then hauled Hiccup into the air by his legs with a quick loop of it's tail so Grimmel could bind him in the heavy chains. Once done, the dragon dropped him and Hiccup barely managed to curl and avoid falling on his head. The pain still stole his breath away, and sent his vision white. The Deathgripper wheeled, driving the Berkian horde away with a blast of burning acid, still keeping it's stinger poised over their prone chief. Grimmel ignored them, and got to work binding the Night Fury, starting with a leather muzzle to hold his jaw closed then rolling him into the chain harness. Great collars pinned shut around his neck, wings, legs, all the down his tail, binding his every limb. The harness ended in a huge hook that he snapped through one of the chains dragging below the war rig, as his Deathgripper dragged Hiccup over to likewise hang like a prize fish.

 _“There._ Well Berk, our little game is over and as promised, resistance cost you everything! I'm sure you can thank your _chief_ from afar for his ambition.” Grimmel gave a mocking bow and climbed back aboard his rig.

He strode along one of the beams to the pivoting crossbow, which he loaded and leveled at Hiccup as he struggled in his chains. Slowly, Hiccup went still, and desperately looked back to the vikings gathered just beyond the line the Deathgripper had burned in the earth. They stared helplessly back, furious and hopeless.

 _“Hiccup!”_ Astrid shrieked, shoving through the crowd.

“Ah _ah,_ I would save your heroics, little shield maiden.” Grimmel sneered, “Your ‘chief’ is just as mortal as the rest of you. Maybe if you _behave,_ you'll get him back. Though- I make no promises you'll get _all_ of him.”

Ignoring the roar of both viking and dragon, Grimmel ordered his Deathgrippers into the air. The dragons labored against the added weight, leaving Toothless and Hiccup to drag along the ground, off the cliff, to finally spin and swing wildly in the air. Dizzy and dazed, Hiccup hung limply in his chains, only able to watch as New Berk grew evermore distant. Toothless was still in a drugged haze, eyes rolling under half-closed lids. But before they got too far, a familiar whistling shriek cut the air. Grimmel froze, uncharacteristically stunned still as his wide eyes scanned the sky. A plasma blast rattled the war rig, shattering dragon skulls and scattering Grimmel’s equipment, and Light wheeled away, shrieking at the island and calling Berk’s dragons to her aid.

“Light, _no-”_ Hiccup wheezed, and Grimmel’s eyes snapped down, predatory and sharp.

“You _know_ this beast.” he hissed, and his wicked grin only grew at the flicker of fear in Hiccup’s eyes, “You know where it's _from.”_

His smile dropped right back into a sneer at the thunderous clamor of hundreds of angry dragons, aiming right for them. The wind shifted, making the rig shudder and a great chasm opened in the fog below, all the way down to the ocean and as far as Hiccup could see, over _miles,_ was the armada. Grimmel ordered the Deathgrippers lower, leading the pursuing flock down, down… right into the range of the net-launchers and bolas. Hiccup only just saw Light sprint away, diving through fire to disappear. At least she might get away, and warn the Hidden World…

_Warn the Hidden World._

And if he led Grimmel, and _only_ Grimmel there, if he could get out of these chains- But the rig flew on, low over the whole fleet so the hunters could take their pick of the Berkian dragons. Meatlug, Skullcrusher, Stormfly, Cloudjumper and more fell to the ships and were stuffed into cages, very few gave up on their Alpha. At the very end of the armada chain was the warlord’s flagship, a huge three-hulled behemoth bristling with dragon bones. Grimmel ordered the rig to a halt, hovering over the deck and keeping Toothless just beyond their reach.

“Well, you've finally delivered! You get to keep your head!” Ragnar chortled.

“Thank you ‘old friend’, but there's been a change in plans. It seems there's a whole new world of Furies to hunt, and I'm in need of collateral to find it. Enjoy your haul, if you can _control_ it.” Grimmel cackled, and the rig tilted away.

 _“Grimmel!”_ Ragnar bellowed, “There's nowhere you can hide! We will find you!”

Grimmel just scoffed, “Fools. You couldn't find me in the first place.”

The rig creaked and groaned in the wind, Fury skulls rattling all over it's beams as they rose well out of reach of the ships.

“Now, _chief_ Hiccup-” Grimmel drawled, leaning easily on his crossbow, “You _will_ tell me where that white Fury came from. You might just live a few hours more.”

Hiccup couldn't give in _too_ easily, “So you can hunt them to extinction too? You'll have to kill me first.”

He glared against the sun with a defiant snarl.

Grimmel snorted derisively, and trained the crossbow on Toothless instead. He groaned weakly, twisting and writing as he regained control of his body.

“Oh my dear boy, I won't _start_ with you.”

Hiccup’s breath caught and he followed the bolt, right to Toothless’s wide and terrified eyes. He whined, silently begging Hiccup not to say anything-

 _“West.”_ Hiccup croaked, “West, two ticks North from true West. It's an hour away.”

Toothless howled, thrashing in his chains as Hiccup went limp in his. Grimmel smirked, abandoning his crossbow to adjust their course. Exhausted, Toothless sagged. He huffed and whined, but Hiccup only peeked up from under his hair when the last free Deathgripper rose out of sight. He caught Toothless’s eye, and _winked._ Toothless’s ear-flaps twitched, but he kept quiet and still. Hiccup had a plan? He didn't see Light anywhere, did she get away? If she made it home- she could be mustering every dragon in the Hidden World. A small, smug gleam rose in the Fury’s eyes, and Hiccup nodded. They just had to play the victim until then. Slowly, Hiccup tested his bonds, wiggling along with the natural sway and rattle of the rig. It was tight but- _ha!_ He unbuckled his bracer and slipped his left arm half free, before easing it back. He couldn't make a move too soon…

Astrid, Valka, _everyone_ watched helplessly as Grimmel left with their chief and Alpha, until Light returned to rally the dragons, who left before their riders could join them. Dragons streamed from every corner of New Berk, but Grimmel’s harpoon and his Deathgripper kept the flock at a distance, only to run right into the hunters’ traps in their desperate pursuit. What dragons weren't caught in the first pass fell when they attempted to rescue their friends and family, crammed into cages with the rest. Their bellows and cries floated all the way back to the island.

Astrid’s tears dried quickly on her fury-hot cheeks.

“Riders! Flight suits _NOW!”_ she roared.

Vikings scattered, making way for Berk’s finest to retrieve any missing armor or weapons. Astrid tucked her hair into the cowl of her suit, strapped her axe to her back, and marched to the end of the great spire with her helmet under her arm. Valka, Eret, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff fanned out beside her. Astrid took a deep breath, slowly strapping her helmet on.

“Wings up! We hit the closest boats, free _everything_ you can and send them back to bring more fighters in. Once you clear a boat, send it to _the bottom of the ocean!”_ she crouched, slipped on the wing-straps, and _jumped._

Hiccup’s creation was flawless. The flaps unfurled and Astrid _flew,_ skipping along the breeze. The others fell into formation beside her, even Valka took to the suit like a fish to water. Some of the closest ships had started to pull away with their cages full, and that could not happen. The riders caught themselves in the sails and rigging of the biggest ship, stripping their wings off while the crew was briefly stunned. Astrid freed her axe and swung down to the deck, kicking a hunter over the railing, allowing the Gronckle he was wrangling to buck it's chains, scattering more hunters as it blasted a hole in the ship.

“The cages!” Astrid barked, parrying a hunter’s sword.

Valka needed no reminding. Eret and the Gronckle cleared a path for her to open the doors, freeing several other Gronckles and Windgnashers. They cleared the deck, blasted the ship a few more times for good measure, then rode their dragons to the next ship. There was more of the same, but with only one cage they could quickly move on. The spare dragons flew back to New Berk and returned with as many _furious_ vikings as they could carry, dropping them on another ship before it could flee too far.

And so the growing Berkian army plundered cage after cage, sinking ship after ship.

Hiccup ached down to the bone before they were even half way there, but he remained vigilant. He had to get at least that muzzle loose before they got to the Caldera Gate. that time came when a tempest caught the rig, spinning it wildly- and knocking Hiccup right where he needed to go. He wrenched his arm free and pulled the buckle on the muzzle _just_ loose enough, before returning his arm to his bracer. The rig steadied, and it seemed that was a serious enough upset for Grimmel to finally check his cargo.

“Oh good, still with us.” Grimmel chuckled darkly, then turned pensive, “A mind like yours is wasted on such a folly. What a pair we could’ve been if we had only met a few years earlier.”

Hiccup just rolled his eyes, “Funny how you megalomaniacs _always_ say that. If I had a Night Fury for every one- well, I’d run out of madmen first.”

 _“What.”_ Grimmel snapped.

“Oh yeah, turns out you missed a few _dozen_ of them.” Hiccup smirked, “Plus a whole new Fury species. That one back there was just a baby. Some Fury-hunter _you_ are.”  
Toothless’s pupils narrowed to slits, as if to ask _‘what are you doing?!’._

Grimmel seemed to boil in his skin, flushing with indignation, “Oh I will _enjoy_ this boy, and you will watch as I end every one of them.”

Luckily, Grimmel was a decent navigator and soon the mist of the Gate rose on the horizon. Hiccup locked eyes with Toothless, wiggling his arm free and holding it tight to his side. He clenched his fist, flared his fingers wide, then jabbed a finger straight down, right as the rig passed over the steaming rim of the Caldera. Toothless hauled against the muzzle, snapping the buckle and shaking his head free. Then he shot a plasma blast down into the Gate. The sound rebounded, echoing like a sky-cannon that rattled the war rig. Grimmel snarled, but before he could even move towards a crossbow Toothless twisted in his harness and blasted the crossbow already aimed at them, then turned to those that remained. While Toothless kept Grimmel on the run, Hiccup exhaled hard and pushed his loose bracer out of the chains. That freed up just enough slack for the coils of chain to fall loose, enough for Hiccup to wiggle free and swing closer to Toothless. He grabbed the harness, clambering on and shifting to Toothless’s back. The pins holding the device closed were all connected with one long rope, one tug was all it would take. Hiccup pulled, and the pins popped free. They fell.

But that was nothing new.

Hiccup grabbed the saddle as Toothless righted himself, settling in as they leveled out in the strong updraft, only to find themselves flying into a stream of dragons flowing out of the Hidden World. They rained fire on Grimmel and his dragons, even as he vaulted onto the back of the lone untethered Deathgripper. The wild dragons mobbed the others, ripping them from their harnesses and sending the rig crashing down into the throat of the Caldera Gate. But Grimmel was making a break for it.

“After him!” Hiccup snarled, and Toothless roared, rallying all the Furies to him.

Light rolled up and over from below, falling into place at Toothless’s side while dozens of others peeled away from the larger flock. Grimmel and his exhausted Deathgripper were no match for their speed, they caught him before he even crossed the rim on the Caldera. Toothless flared blue, spitting a blast right in the Deathgripper’s path. The beast shrieked, banking hard to the left only to blunder right into Light and her parents, diving in force. It flailed away once more, this time, into _Scar._ She roared, rattling Hiccup’s teeth as she ripped Grimmel from his dragon and thrashed her wings, flying straight up.

Toothless barked in alarm, ignoring the Deathgripper to give chase. They flew higher and higher, until the Caldera was hardly the size of a plate below them and Toothless gained on Scar. But as they approached, Hiccup spotted Grimmel struggling to grab one of the crossbow bolts strapped to his thigh. The _poisoned_ bolts.

“Drop him!” Hiccup shouted, and Toothless echoed his warning.

Scar hesitated for half a wingbeat, and that was enough for Grimmel to rip a bolt free and stab it deep in Scar’s neck. She bellowed, kicking Grimmel away and into the open air. It took a moment for both gravity and awareness to take hold, and Hiccup took some satisfaction in the horror that seized Grimmel’s face as he fell.

And fell.

And fell.

They had mere seconds before Scar was lost to the effects of the poison, and they were well above any assistance. Toothless yelped, urging Scar to dive. She shook her head, groaning, and he wings faltered. Then failed. Toothless scrambled over, just managing to grapple Scar and turn them both into a controlled dive. As they neared the flock, Toothless roared and to Hiccup’s immense relief, a Timberjack rose to meet them. It arched, delicately catching Scar across it's back before leveling off. Toothless flared again, shrieking long and low, and the Hidden flock answered. He turned back to New Berk, and his new flock followed with the Furies rallying around him. Even the grey Bewilderbeast breached the surface at a distance, joining them in the long march East. Hiccup hoped New Berk could hold out that long…

The battle raged, and even with more and more vikings fighting it was no easier. Half the fleet was gone, but the remaining ships were some of the largest and had men to spare to keep their captive dragons at sword-point. At least, until the dragons started to fight back at the sight of their riders. But what ships _could_ flee did, forcing riders to chase them down, some over miles. The warlord’s flagship was so bogged down in the thick of it's overencumbered fleet that it couldn't even turn for more than an hour, but once it could the winds had turned against them.

Astrid leapt off the prow of a sinking ship, and the ever-helpful Gore gutter caught her as he passed. The Goregutter bellowed, lowering his head to ram his horns through the mast of the next ship. But, Astrid stayed astride his back, desperate for a moment of rest, only a moment… she could barely keep a grip on her axe, _everything_ hurt, but she still had not found Stormfly. But she couldn't give up. She leaned her right knee into the Goregutter’s back, urging it to turn and follow the flagship. He snorted, eyes training on the massive ship- but then he wheeled away, alarmingly fast. Astrid yelped, clinging to it's craggy hide until she could right herself.

“Hey, we need-” she started to protest, but then she froze.

The world seemed to fall silent. The flagship pulled ahead of the pack, but the ocean around it started to roil and froth. Then a mountain of flesh erupted from the waves, spearing the sky. It froze, poised against the sun, before it toppled sideways, lone tusk scything through all three prows of the titanic ship. Stunned, Astrid turned her eyes West and found the sky dark with dragons. She staggered to her feet on the Goregutter’s back, raising her axe over her head. The surge of renewed energy carried her war cry to everyone below, and it grew and grew man and dragon alike as the Hidden World flock fell on the ships, sweeping hunters off the decks and into the ocean. The riders were then free to open the cages and sink the ships at their leisure, sending dozens more dragons back to the sky. A familiar squawk had Astrid’s head snapping back around, as Stormfly rose from under the Goregutter’s right wing. Astrid sobbed with relief, and dove right off the massive dragon, knowing Stormfly would catch her. She caught the saddle, settled in, and they were off, leaving the Goregutter to his ship-smashing. If the flock was here, Hiccup _had_ to be with them, right..? Stormfly sniffed the air, turning closer to New Berk when Light almost knocked them both out of the air. The dragons chattered in delight, but Astrid cut their reunion short.

“Where’s Hiccup?” she asked tersely.

Light chirped, looking over with her head tilted.

 _“Hiccup.”_ she stressed.

Light’s ear-flaps perked and she scanned the sky briefly before shooting up to the cliffs. Stormfly followed, all the way to the Sun Spear where they found a huge gold Timberjack, and-

 _“Hiccup!”_ Astrid cried, harsh and shrill.

She nearly toppled from the saddle in her rush, before Stormfly even landed. Hiccup was _there,_ sitting in the grass before the Timberjack to strip out of his armor when Astrid’s voice startled him to his feet. Toothless scrambled out from under the Timberjack’s wings, rushing past Hiccup and ramming his head into her arms. He whined, and dragged Astrid over to the great tent the Timberjack had made of its wings. There, limp and barely breathing, was Scar, guarded by as many Night Furies as could fit under the gold dragon’s wings.

“We need Gothi.” Hiccup said weakly.

Stormfly leapt right into action, launching into the air and bolting towards the remains of the camp. The Night Furies glowered warily, but Toothless glared right back. Scar needed their help, and she was going to get it one way or another. Stormfly returned with Gothi, gently setting the old healer down and Toothless whined, urging her closer. Gothi needed no convincing. She silently pushed the other Furies aside with her staff, and got to work removing the shattered remains of the poisoned bolt. They could only watch, but Astrid finally broke, stumbling over to Hiccup and collapsing against his chest.

“You're _alive.”_ she croaked.

“I’m here, it's- I’m _okay.”_ he squeezed Astrid tight.

Their legs gave out and they slowly eased down into the grass, and Toothless curled around them both, sighing deeply. They stayed there for a time, too exhausted to move or even get out of their sweaty armor. The battle raged on below, but the tables had turned in their favor. They could rest, for just a little while.

By the time Hiccup and Astrid could will themselves to move, dragons were streaming back to Berk. Those from the Hidden World landed well away from the camp and Berkians and many slunk into the forest to watch from the shadows. Hiccup staggered to his feet with Toothless’s help, only to be instantly swarmed by Valka, Gobber, _everyone._ Tears of relief flowed freely, just as free as the cheers of victory. But there were injuries to attend to, Gothi and her apprentices would be busy.

“Mom…” Hiccup sighed, pulling back a fraction. “Scar is hurt. Gothi’s working but- she still hasn’t woken up. Grimmel… he's gone. It's _done.”_

Valka nodded, sniffling and brushing Hiccup’s hair back.

“The fleet is destroyed, and we’re making sure no ships escaped. That Bewilderbeast, well… he did help quite a bit.” she said uneasily.

A thunderous crash reached them from the sea below, and several dragons shifted.

“Toothless, we need to check that out…” Hiccup mumbled.

Toothless sighed, but padded over so Hiccup could climb on. With a few labored wingbeats, he settled into a long glide down to the ocean, strewn with shipwrecks as far as they could see. There would be plenty of wood, iron and sailcloth to salvage from the wrecks, but that could wait. The Bewilderbeast busied himself trampling the wrecks and thrashing the water with his lone tusk, working out decades of frustration no doubt. Toothless landed on a tall spire of rock and roared, calling the Grey Bewliderbeast over. The titanic dragon _flinched,_ slowly and meekly turning to look at his Alpha. Toothless stomped a paw, nodding his head to order Grey closer. Head still bowed, Grey shuffled forward until it's face was close enough to touch. Close enough to see the hundreds of scars pocking his rough hide, the splintered surface of his tusks, the bloodshot eyes that couldn't meet either of theirs. Hiccup swallowed hard.

“He- he _made_ you do it.” he said, as much to himself as the dragon.

Grey’s eyes flicked up, almost surprised as he tilted his head. As he moved, the iron cuff around his tusk creaked harshly, making all of them wince. Hiccup urged Toothless forward, and with a few flaps they landed on Grey’s tusk. Grey rumbled nervously, but Toothless thrummed, relaxed and encouraging. They weren't going to hurt him. Hiccup peered down at the cuff and after a little maneuvering, found a huge fissure in parts of the hinge and pin. They might just be able to get this thing off.

“Alright Bud, let's fix this. We’ll be right back!”

Toothless shot back to the top of New Berk, ralling a few dragons, especially Nadders, and brought them back down to Grey. There, he directed them to heat a long, thin line down the length of the cuff, over and over until the iron glowed. Then, with Hiccup’s direction, Grey leveled his tusk against a boulder, reared back, and _swung-_  
With an ear-ringing clang, the cuff split in two, falling into the sea with a mighty splash. Grey shook his head, dazed and off-balance from the sudden loss of thousands of pounds on one side of his face. For a time, he tilted his head back and forth, re-orienting himself and trying to look at the now-bare tusk. He was finally, truly _free._ Toothless returned to the stone tower and Grey approached once more, bowing deeply. Hiccup dismounted and Toothless crooned in confusion, watching Hiccup shuffle to the edge of the stone surface. Grey rumbled, shifting close enough for Hiccup to lean his whole body against the dragon’s face with his arms spread wide, almost like a hug. It was likely the first, gentle human contact the Bewilderbeast had ever had. Grey thrummed, causing the ocean around him to ripple and dance and Hiccup’s teeth to rattle, and his eyes slid shut.

“He _made_ you do it.” he said once more, rubbing a hand over the dragon’s skin.

Hiccup stayed like that for a while, which Grey didn't seem to mind, but Toothless grew impatient. He whined, and Hiccup bid his goodbyes to Grey, who parted after cheekily showering Hiccup with his misty breath. Toothless rushed back to the Spire, where it seemed half the village gathered at the cliff’s edge to watch what had transpired below. Some didn't seem too keen on _that_ particular dragon being around, but Valka slowly nodded.

Gothi emerged from the Timberjack tent, packing her supplies away and looking tired, but satisfied. Toothless hardly waited for Hiccup to dismount before he raced into the tent. Scar’s neck was heavily bandaged, but she seemed to be fighting off the venom at least, cracking her lone eye open when Toothless jammed himself under her wing. Hiccup knew she would be fine when she heaved a defeated sigh after Light joined their pile. The Gold Timberjack eyed Hiccup warily as he approached, slowly craning his long neck to sniff the hand Hiccup offered. Toothless and Light crooned to the gold dragon, and it let Hiccup pass into the cradle of it's wings. Scar stared him down, still wary but too tired to protest. He crouched, scratching under Toothless’s chin until Scar shifted, rolling her weight off her stump. Hiccup stared, thinking hard…

Near sundown, the last riders returned. No ships had escaped, and the sea dragons took care of the hunters, grim as that might be. On New Berk, dragons and humans rested in exhausted piles, but those that could bear to move cooked, fished, erected tents and lit fires to stave off the chill. Hiccup and Astrid helped Gothi tend to the wounded vikings, while Valka, Gobber and Eret saw to their dragons. There were more than a few broken wings, limbs and tails that needed binding, and those dragons would likely need to remain on Berk until they healed. But now, they could use the dragos’ help to start building. Clear a little timber, salvage the wrecks, dig cellars and wells, harvest stone… There was so much to do. They had time now, enough time for the dragons of Berk and the Hidden World to introduce themselves. The Berk flock marveled at all the Night Furies, and Cloudjumper found himself swarmed by nearly a dozen Stormcutters. Toothless wasn't the only one missing out on a community of his own kind, and a particular sunset-colored Stormcutter took quite a shining to him.

By morning, Scar was quite well again, apart from the wound. Over the night Toothless had rolled under her chin and Light flopped over both of them, safe under the Gold Timberjack’s wings. For their sake, Scar was content to stay. Gold roused at the scent of food, unfolding to find Hiccup approaching with a rolling barrow of fish. It stared, first at Hiccup then the fish. It sniffed the offering, and found the fish fresh, so fresh many were still wiggling. It swallowed a few down, thrumming contentedly. The scents and sounds woke Light first. She slunk into the morning light, squinting against the sun. but she toddled to the fish-barrow and shoved her whole head in, eating lazily.  
Food drew out more Hidden World dragons, forcing Hiccup to return to the fish station for more. The Bewilderbeast certainly earned his keep, gathering more than enough for everyone. But Hiccup wanted to earn the trust of the Hidden flock himself. They were no different than other wild dragons really, all they needed was a calm touch and a fishy bribe. The second batch drew even more hungry mouths, Nadders and Nightmares and Rumblehorns, even a few of the Furies. Hiccup snatched a few fish before they were all gobbled up, and snuck under Gold’s wings to drop them at Scar’s feet. She glared with understandable suspicion, but Gold and Light nudged the food closer. Scar sighed and ate slowly, saving a few fish for her son.

Toothless woke eventually, wolfing down his share of the food before sheepishly greeting his mother and Light. He stretched, extricating himself from the bundle of dragon limbs and wings to seek out Hiccup. New Berk was abuzz with activity. Dragons ferried salvaged material up from the shipwrecks while their riders sorted wood and metal and any food stores, there was even silver and gold left of the ships. Wood that wasn't fit for building was set aside to dry for firewood and charcoal, and the iron cages and chains could be reforged into wire, saws and nails. Hiccup was in the thick of it all at the smithy, planning the best places for homes and storehouses and a new Great Hall. That huge standing stone would make a good statue too… In the crowds, Toothless spotted Lump and quickly called him over. The Snafflefang shuffled over with surprising grace thanks to his false leg, and the two dragons set off to find Hiccup together. Toothless howled a greeting, scampering the last few yards to gently headbutt Hiccup’s shoulder.

“Wha- oh, hey Bud, welcome to the world of the living!” he chuckled.

Lump finally caught up, rumbling sweetly and already begging for skritches. Toothless pranced in place, only stopping to pat Lump’s prosthetic, then lift his own left foreleg, flexing his claws and rolling his shoulder.

“Oh, for Scar? Yeah, I’m already planning one, don't worry.” Hiccup gesture with his pencil to a scrap on parchment covered in doodles.

Toothless thrummed, turning his head to examine the diagrams closeles, or as closely as he could with Hiccup working on the rest of the table. But, there was more work to do, and Toothless managed to convince Gold Timberjack to help clear a little, well, timber. Gold was more than happy to live up to it's name, even helping pare the trees down to fine lumber and posts. The wood was too green to use right away, so it was stacked in loose scaffolds to let the wind run through and over the planks. They would cure, fine and true in the sun and dry winds. Shovenhelms leveled foundations and the Whispering Deaths in the mountains dug out cellars, at least where the ground was able to keep them. They dug a few wells, where the fine stone would make the water safe. The lake water would be safe enough for washing and bathing. Where the Great Plateau sprawled on it's Southern flank, it butted against a tall cliff face and there they would build the Great Hall. Toothless marked the face of stone for the Whisperers to dig the greatest bulk of stone, the vikings could refine the rest themselves later. The opening would be narrow to shrug off storms, and past the narrow entrance it widened to a huge room. The ceilings needed to be lofty, with a small vent back through the cliff face to let out smoke as well as the chimneys for the great hearths. They had timber to spare for doors and long tables, and storage racks for all their winter provisions.

Rubble from the excavations was ground for mortar or used to fill in and level the landscape. Some of the limestone and shale proved useful for flagstones and steps, so it was set aside for later. Gronckles helped set the corner posts for the first homes, as well as the foundations for a deck around the huge standing stone just past the new Great Hall. that, once they had time, would be turned into a statue greater than any yet made on Berk, a tribute to their greatest chief who could only look down on them from Valhalla.

Berkians worked as long as there was sunlight, and Hiccup took what time he could to make the prosthetic for Scar. He could use Toothless as a model for the look, but he needed proper measurements from the dragon herself. That took a lot of cajoling and convincing from Toothless. Hiccup worked quickly, measuring a few spots on her stump and the length of her good leg in comparison, then retreated. He didn't want to push his luck any further. Scar huffed, watching the human go, but Toothless whined in protest and nudged her good shoulder. Hiccup was a friend! He saved Toothless, all these dragons! Scar sighed even more deeply, awkwardly licking her paw and wiping her face. Yes, maybe these humans were good, but for the sake of their kind they _must_ stay in the Hidden World. There was more space than even she had been able to explore, no human could go there and separate them again. _Never_ again. Scar dragged Toothless close, tucking him under her chin like a hatchling.

Snotlout, bless him, proved to be just as accomplished a seamster in leather as everything else. Together, with a little help from Gobber and Grump, they put together a fine prosthetic in the span of an afternoon. The column of the leg was a tube of sculpted leather, well-oiled and fireproofed like Toothless’s tail, and extensively padded. A flexible metal spring threaded into the back of the sleeve, attaching to a garter that would fasten above the elbow and ending in a flat plate inside the ‘paw’. The underside of the paw was studded with a few small iron hobnails, in addition to the metal ‘claws’. The sleeve for Scar’s stump was lined with plush wool, as was the band of the garter. Scar wouldn't have the luxury of taking the arm off on her own after all. Hiccup gathered the prosthetic, and made the long march to the Hidden World flock.

Toothless and Scar had moved into the shade of the trees, still sleeping away the fatigue that seemed to be a side effect of Grimmel’s poisoned darts. Toothless woke to Light batting at his ear-flaps and Hiccup laughing a few measures away, with- the new leg! Toothless whooped, scrambling to his feet and nudging Scar as hard as he dared. She grumbled, only just cracking her eye open, her pupil pinned to a slit as she trained her gaze on Hiccup, despite Toothless’s excitement/ the human held what looked like a dragon’s leg. Scar glowered, slowly rising to her feet and lurching forward, while the human froze. The leg… it was false, like her child’s half-tail of beast hide and old scales, metal and hair. It was _strange._ Scar sniffed, until Toothless scampered behind Hiccup, flexing his false tail and nudging the human closer. The human was nervous, as he should be but… Scar would humor her son. Sighing deeply, Scar turned a fraction to allow the human closer to her bad arm. The human shuffled closer, kneeling slowly, and- Scar chirped in surprise. The false limb slipped over what remained of her leg, and the inside was surprisingly soft on all her bare, scarred skin. The human- _Hiccup,_ fastened a loop of hide above her elbow, which seemed to help hold the limb up. Hiccup backed away, and Scar pressed the false paw into the ground. Her twisted back straightened as the new leg bore her weight, easing the strain on her other shoulder and wounded neck. Scar thrummed, ear-flaps perking. Slowly, she raised her new leg and took a proper, awkward step. After nearly 20 years, she had to remember how to walk with two legs. The prosthetic didn't _quite_ move the right way, but it held her weight enough to let her stride and almost run. Toothless and Light chattered excitedly, racing around the cliff-plain and Scar forgot all her aches. She scrambled off after them, quick as she dared with her injury, batting at their tail-tips.

Hiccup sat in the shade, watching the Furies play. More Furies joined them from the forest, running in circles or swooping from above. Tears pricked at Hiccup’s eyes. _This_ is what Toothless had been missing all these years, because of Grimmel and the other hunters…

“So this is where you went.”

Hiccup yelped, falling over as he scrambled away from- Valka.

 _“Mom.”_ he groused.

Light slid to a stop and watched the two, then reared up on her back legs to wave at them. They both waved back, at least until Light was tackled by one of her siblings, spurring her to retaliate. Valka laughed, and took a seat, watching…

“Many of the dragons are injured, they'll need to heal before- Before they go.” Valka’s voice faltered, only for a moment.

Hiccup nodded, “We’ll need their help to get enough built to last the winter. Houses, stores… And we’ll need a way to get boats down to the water to fish.”

“Yes, all of that, but-”

“Snotlout and I worked on a prototype flag, something to warn dragons away if there are other people around.” he continued.

 _“Hiccup._ The village will come in time.” Valka squeezed his shoulder, “Are _you_ alright? After Grimmel left we- Astrid took over, and had us after the armada. We had to trust that you would find a way-”

“Mom, you did what you could. If anyone had followed, he would've killed us.” Hiccup swallowed hard, “I knew it was a risk, but at the Hidden World we would have backup. I had to let him think he had won. He underestimated us, and we got free.”

“You came home. That's what matters most. But- will you be alright?” Valka asked warily, stroking Hiccup’s hair.

He nodded, and leaned against her side. The dragons played in the sun.

Over the next few days, they worked, long and hard, and new homes sprung up all over New Berk. But the biggest surprise was the arrival of more Hidden World dragons, and the Deathgrippers, all _six_ of them. They were lead by the largest Deathgripper, with broken tusks and one blind eye, and two Rumblehorns escorted them to the edge of the village, calling for the Alpha. Toothless answered in a rush, wary and with a snarl on his lips. But all six Deathgrippers slowly bowed, shivering their wings and thrumming deeply. Confused, Toothless folded back on his haunches, looking over the dragons that had so willingly attacked them before. But, he looked harder, then slowly stalked forward. The half-blind Deathgripper looked up, and slowly arched it's neck to the side, revealing the leather collar still bound around its neck, around all their necks. Metal pods studded the collars, and Toothless recoiled violently after sniffing one of them. The scent of _venom_ burned between his eyes, and he scrubbed his snout in disgust. That was what happened then, Grimmel had drugged them somehow. They had all been slow, sluggish, never acted without direction. And now, they had returned for help. Toothless rushed to find Hiccup, and Gothi. They might have wounds…

Hiccup was much more wary than Toothless, understandably so. But Half-Eye arched her neck, chirping plaintively to the human she recognized, if only by scent. They had been made to hurt this human, _many_ humans. They could only beg for help.

“I’ll be right back, I need my tools.” Hiccup muttered, after a moment.

Toothless watched him go, and gave a soft, reassuring thrumm to Half-Eye. Hiccup would understand, he was a different sort of human. They all were here.  
Hiccup returned, with a satchel of tools and Gothi toddling along behind. He murmured a nervous hello, and inched closer to Half-Eye with an outstretched hand. She tilted her head, then looked to Toothless with a questioning _murrp?_ The Fury nodded his head, and ever-so-slowly, Half-Eye craned her neck and pressed her snout into Hiccup’s palm. Hiccup, and the crowd that had gathered, sighed in relief. But Half-Eye rolled under his hand, urging Hiccup towards the collar. It had already been clawed and chewed nearly all the way through, but a wire cable kept the whole device in one piece, and cutting into the dragon’s neck.

“Gods…” Hiccup muttered, “Hold still, this’ll only take a minute.”

Hiccup fiddled with the leather scraps, piling some under one point of the cable to lift it away from Half-Eye’s skin, and then he pulled out a small hand-saw. He ran the saw over the cable a few times, slowly, so Half-Eye didn’t spook at the noise, but she screwed her eyes shut. The saw made quick work of the braided wire cable, but when it split, the metal capsules somehow kept the collar pinned to Half-Eye’s neck. Hiccup and Gothi shared a wary glance, took a deep breath, and pulled on the first segment of collar. Half-Eye whimpered as the collar dragged a huge needle from her flesh, connected to the base of the metal capsule. The wound was bleeding, both blood and pus, and the whole area was a matt of old scars and infection. Every capsule held another needle into an old, infected wound, and the poor dragon shuddered as every section pulled free. Finally, Hiccup tossed the whole contraption aside in disgust. Toothless snarled, blasting it to pieces. Half-eye shivered and shook, keening even as Hiccup smoothed his hands down her neck and over her shoulder, stepping away so Gothi could examine the many wounds.

One by one, the collars were removed and destroyed. The Deathgripper’s wounds were many, some worryingly deep, but they did what they could to clean and bandage the dragons. Once that was done, the Deathgrippers milled around Hiccup, mewling and thumming until their own armor rattled, fighting to get close enough to nuzzle their new human. Hiccup could only laugh in bewilderment, petting and scratching when he could reach between the crush of black-and-red scales. Toothless huffed in annoyance, and perhaps jealously, at least until he got the same treatment.

The Deathgrippers proved to be natural foremen, marshalling the dragons’ greatest strengths and keeping them on task. There were _things_ to build after all, even if the Deathgrippers didn't understand, they still wanted to help. The homes would have to be simple for now, there would be plenty of time to decorate over the winter. There was limestone to burn for plaster, and more than enough timber to make double-walls and roofs for every home. They filled in the spaces between the walls with rubble and earth from all the excavations, sanded the rough-hewn floors smooth, and fitted heavy doors and shutters. The Great Hall had it's narrow opening fitted with a wooden facade and doors big enough for a dragon. Gronkle lava and iron nails and mortar held everything snugly in place to block out drafts, and more Gronckles helped hammer iron rings into the wall to hang chandeliers high above for light. The new wells were bricked around and covered for safety, as ladders and bridges started connecting the larger plateaus to expand their building areas. They couldn't rely on dragons to navigate all the verticality of New Berk, so they had to start planning ahead. As the construction surged ahead and the dragons were needed less and less, they were left to relax with their own kind, and make friends with their new Hidden World neighbors.

The new Haddock home was nearly done, with the last wall incomplete for the sake of the hearth and chimney that were still under construction. Meatlug helped install a sizable granite slab for the base of the hearth, honed carefully to allow a gap through to the undercroft of the home for a proper draw of air into the chimney. The rest of the hearth was bricked up with stone and mortar, tapering to the flue and chimney column, all the way up to the roofline and above. Only when the stone settled and the plaster cured did they finish the last of the double-walls. The village helped fill the house with some rough furniture, _especially_ beds, and they could finally move their belongings indoors. Valka had a small room of her own, still on the ground floor. Hiccup would need the whole upper floor once Astrid moved in, and if they started a family… They had agreed they wedding would finally happen once the village was done, whenever that may be. But now, it was time to let the dragons go, to the secrecy of the Hidden World.  
Valka, Hiccup and Snotlout sorted through scraps of salvaged clothing and sailcloth for all the black and yellow material they could find, then set to work. Together they made several long, narrow banners, striped like the eels the dragons loathed. There were plenty of eaves and tall trees they could hang these banners from that a dragon scout could spot from afar. Now they needed to test this theory. Hiccup and Valka gathered the flags, and Snotlout made a menace of himself ringing a pilfered ship’s bell to call attention to the center of town. They all knew what was to come, and Hiccup especially had to steel himself. He was chief, he had to act on more than his own desires. As did Toothless. They had to protect themselves, until the world had forgotten it's fear of dragons. The crowd thickened and Toothless dropped in from above, silently calling the dragons to order.

“It's time.” Hiccup finally said, voice tight, “Tomorrow, the dragons will go to the Hidden World. And someday, we’ll bring them back. We’ll show the world, island by island if we have to, that they aren't what they used to be afraid of. And we have a way to let them know when it's safe to visit.”

He unfurled one of the banners, eliciting squawks of alarm from all the dragons close enough to see. Even Toothless leaned away, pupils narrowed to slivers.

“So long as there's strangers in sight of New Berk, we fly these on the Western side of town. The Light Furies and Phantoms can scout ahead if anyone wants to visit, and they _can_ visit, many of them will need too. But _this_ far away, I don't think we’ll have a problem, not anymore.”

A murmur of agreement passed through the crowd, and many a viking wiped teary eyes.

“So, let's have one last night together! Explore the island, play, have fun!” Hiccup waved the Berkians away.

Astrid fluttered overhead on Stormfly, the Nadder calling to her Fury friend. Toothless hooted back, diving under Hiccup’s legs to scoop his rider up onto his back. Hiccup barely got his feet in the stirrups before Toothless took off, chasing after Stormfly and Light. Cloudjumper swept in next, with his Stormcutter friends circling above, the Sunset Cutter closest of all. Valka caught Cloudjumper’s claw and clambered up to his back. They powered higher, Cloudjumper’s four wings pounding until they swept up and over Sunset. The two dragons thrilled a sweet greeting, after which Sunset drifted closer to look Valka over. She cooed, head tilting back and forth as she watched Valka tip-toe over and around Cloudjumper’s neck and back as he tumbled and rolled through the sky. Sunset hooted in alarm when Valka seemed to slip off, only for Cloudjumper to sweep her up in one wing against his chest, coasting along on his back long enough for his human to shuffled back into place. All the Stormcutters thrummed, thoroughly impressed. Valka laughed, carefree and bright.

Scar burst from the trees to join Toothless as they coasted towards the cliffs, and more Furies trailed behind. Scar watched Hiccup only a little warily, shifting her new prosthetic against her chest. Stormfly chirped an eager greeting, which Scar acknowledged with a thrumm. They flew and flew, racing along cliffs and over mountains, daring each other with increasingly complex maneuvers. Scar certainly had a thing or two to teach her son, and Light too, twirling and flipping and turning with startling swiftness. Toothless’s new auto-tail wasn’t quite as mobile as the other Furies, since the prosthetic could only move in exact tandem with it's flesh-and-blood twin. With enough practice he could find a way around that inconvenience, it was a minor price for the ability to fly on his own. And without the need to focus constantly on working and manual tail, Hiccup could just _enjoy_ flying. He could watch the finest details of the other Furies’ flight, the correcting flicks of wingtips and hip-fins and tail rudders, all while they stared unflinchingly into the distance. As amber-eyed Fury made a playful, tumbling dive towards Toothless from above, falling past his wing to level out and rise again, almost wingtip to wingtip. It was perhaps a bit bigger than Toothless, with narrower ear-flaps, like Scar. Was this a female too? Scar cooed from over Toothless’s other wing, gesturing for him to follow? Or, perhaps for him to introduce himself. The Amber Fury chirped, head tilting as Toothless warbled a greeting. Not knowing what else to do, he arched his back, snapping his spines open and shut. Amber cooed, mimicking him. Toothless wiggled in delight, flashing a bright, gummy grin as only he could.  
The evening grew long, forcing Berkians to return home. The Furies returned to the forest, though many stopped to mimic Light as she waved goodnight. Hiccup left Toothless on the fringes of New Berk, hugging him tight around the neck while the dragon thrummed.

“You go on, that lady-Fury was making eyes at you the whole time.” Hiccup chuckled weakly.

Toothless just stretched, shoved his head under Hiccup’s hand, then started towards home. He would have time to court later. This was his last night here, for now at least, and he would spend it with _Hiccup._

Astrid and Stormfly went their own way, after a short goodbye and goodnight. They had the same thought, though there was only enough room for Stormfly on the first floor. They could camp out in front of the hearth, Stormfly made an excellent tent after all…

Vikings all over Berk retired with their dragons, one last time. Meatlug stuffed herself into the new Ingerman home, while the twins found a nice tree to camp in with Barf and Belch. Hookfang snatched his rider up by the cape and settled on the roof of his home, tucking Snotlout under his wing. Grump pinned Gobber to the floor of the smithy, though Grump had fallen asleep hours before. Even Skullcrusher wrangled Eret to the bonfire in the center of the village for a good bask in the warmth. Toothless helped himself to the entirety of the bed while Hiccup scrubbed himself free of the day’s filth. Relatively clean and re-dressed, he pulled an extra blanket out of his trunk, bundled up, and crawled under Toothless’s wing.

Dawn broke.

Riders and their dragons reluctantly gathered, eating breakfast as slow as they could. They could only delay so long. Everyone gathered at the Sun Spear and, with shaking hands, Hiccup stripped off Toothless’s saddle. Toothless’s ear-flaps drooped as he shifted this was and that to aid him, and Astrid followed Hiccup’s lead. Stormfly whined as the straps came loose and her saddle fell away into the grass. Weeping silently, Astrid threw her arms around the Nadder’s neck. Buckles rattled and leather creaked as hundreds of saddles were removed, and voices rose in mourning. Toothless shook himself as the last strap came loose, then reared to drag Hiccup into a tight hug, whining deeply.

“I know Bud-” Hiccup sniffled, burying his face in the dragon’s neck.

Toothless had to let go, but Light swooped in to replace him, jamming her head into Hiccup’s arms. She burbled, knowing their sadness despite her youth. All the humans here, they were _good,_ they didn't want the dragons to leave! But, it was sometimes dangerous out here, and that needed to change. She and Toothless would make sure that happened.

Hiccup gave the auto-tail one last check, before Toothless summoned the dragons to him with a mighty roar. He nuzzled Hiccup one last time, and bounded off the Sun Spear into the wide open sky. With Light on his tail, they circled back over New Berk, calling the flock to the sky. Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf and Belch, Skullcrusher, Grump, every dragon they had known and named the last six years and more streamed from the island into the air and, as one, they turned West. With the sun at their backs, they flew away and their riders watched until even the Bewilderbeast faded over the horizon.

New Berk flourished. Hiccup and Gobber worked tirelessly on cranes to raise ships to and from the ocean, since they still needed to fish the new waters and scavenge the wrecks. There was enough salted and dried meat, ship’s biscuit, grog and dried fruit from the ships in addition to their own supplies to last the winter, but they couldn’t take any chances. The chain they saved and salvaged was just enough for one lift, taking them down, down, down…

Vikings combed through the forest, gathering piles and piles of fallen branches and logs. It was separated in a new barn for kindling, tinder, firewood or later woodworking, all carefully stacked to keep it dry. Homes got the finishing touches they needed; stairs, internal doors, storage and kitchens. Cellars were finished out, the Great Hall’s stores were organized and filled, and the Smithy was bigger and better than ever. For now, Gobber built his home into the back around the forge chimney for warmth.

A few stonemasons had time to carve. The standing stone Hiccup had marked was taking shape as they erected scaffolds and the deck around it's base. Hiccup knew well enough to let them work, he wasn't much of an artist. But, he did have a few requests. It was almost time.

It took Toothless nearly a month to come back, which was longer than Hiccup expected with how new the auto-tail was. A few of the metal rods had bent and the gears had clogged, perhaps a cover was in order. Either way, Hiccup and all of New Berk were overjoyed to see him again, even if they were a little disappointed to see him arrive alone. Hiccup and Toothless waded through the bustling town to the smithy, so they could get to work.

“Looks like you partied a _little_ too hard Bud.” Hiccup teased as he unbuckled the tail, “That Timberjack might be able to get you here if it ever breaks down completely. But, let's not let it get that bad, yeah?”

Toothless rolled his eyes, swatting Hiccup’s leg with his tail.

“Okay, okay- you big baby.” he huffed a laugh, “But, we’ve got something big coming. Think you can get everybody back here in ten days?”

Toothless thrilled in agreement, and Hiccup got to work.

After seven of those ten days, Berk wasn't _perfect,_ but it was functional. Carving, painting, decoration, that would come in time. The deck was likewise finished, surrounding the roughed-out statue of Stoick the Vast and it's base of carved murals, depicting the milestones that brought the people of Berk this far. Hiccup’s first contact with Toothless, Stoick losing Valka, rescuing and making peace with Toothless, bonding with Skullcrusher, fighting Drago… This would stand, and tell their story for generations to come. Until their dragons could rejoin the upper world, Stoick would look Westward.

  
Now, they would celebrate. Pine branches were woven into garlands and wreaths, decorated with shells drawn from the deep or carved bone ornaments. Wedding banners hung from every window, fluttering in the breeze that sent the first drifts of snow flying. Through it all, Hiccup and Astrid were kept separate, cloistered in their homes while their wedding clothes were finished. The first of the fine white wool spun and woven in New Berk had gone into their tunic and dress, cut from the same bolt of cloth. Snotlout and Valka had worked tirelessly for weeks, maybe months on the embroidery and now they only had to finish the fit. Gobber forged fine gold ornaments from bullion claimed from the hunter’s fleet, cuffs for the future newlyweds, belts, and shoulder-clasps for their cloaks of fine fur, hunted and prepared long in advance. For Astrid, they made a cape of lighter, white winter reindeer pelts, fastened with Nadder medallions. Hiccup’s was nearly a twin of his father’s, the skin of a great brown bear, pinned with a heavy iron chain and Night Fury clasps. Much had been made in secret, like the crowns of mistletoe and summer flowers that were woven and carefully dried, just in case Berk’s favorite couple finally decided to wind the banner. Now, here they were, a mile in the sky and preparing for a procession to the Chief’s Overlook.

  
Valka returned to her home once Astrid’s gown was finished. Her mother would help with the last little tasks since Valka… would be taking Stoick’s place. Mr. Hofferson had arrived earlier to their home, though there was little for him to do with all of Snotlout’s fussing, and Valka nearly ran into his back as Snotlout ushered him out the door.

  
 _“Jorgensen,_ we have plenty of time-” Mr. Hofferson huffed, before Valka interrupted them both.

  
“Oh! I’m sorry Roar, the sun’s dazzled me.” she chuckled, edged inside, and almost dropped the bundle of crafts in her arms.

  
Hiccup looked up in surprise, finally shoving Snotlout away. Valka stood there, looking like she had seen a ghost. Tears pricked at her eyes as she struggled for words.

  
“You look so much like him.” she finally said, voice weak.

  
Snotlout and Roar quickly exited the house. They needed to get everyone gathered after all. Valka swept Hiccup into a bone-crushing hug, sniffling but trying not to cry into her son’s finery. Hiccup hugged back, just as tight.

  
“I miss him Mom.”

  
Their tears dried, they freshened up, and Valka ducked into her room to retrieve something, hurriedly shoved into her mantle. Hiccup linked their arms together and they strode out the door, blinking against the sun. Gobber, Eret, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut, Roar, every man on Berk was waiting. And, judging by the cheer a few houses away, Astrid had just made her appearance as well. Heart hammering, Hiccup swallowed hard and led his half of the procession to the Overlook. Someone had strewn the path there with dried leaves, each painstakingly hand-painted in brilliant Spring colors, standing out all the more against the white snow. Despite knowing there was not a thing to worry about, Hiccup’s hands shook with nerves. The Red Death, Drago and his Bewilderbeast, even _Grimmel_ had not left him in such a state. Valka gave his arm a gentle squeeze.  
Both crowds paused at the steps to the deck, so Hiccup and Astrid could be let up first. Gothi waited at the foot of Stoick’s statue, looking read to cry herself. Valka and Astrid’s mother led their children forward, until they took the last few steps alone to stand before the elder, and faced each other. Hiccup choked on a sob, robbed of words.  
Astrid was so, so _beautiful._

  
Which, she always was of course, but today she just shone with something impossible to describe. Behind Hiccup’s back Valka passed a carefully folded banner of white embroidered cloth to Gothi, and scrubbed a few stray tears from her cheeks. The rest of Berk filed in to stand at the fringes of the deck, giving the couple a polite margin. Astrid took Hiccup’s still-shaking hands in hers, raising them together as Gothi unfurled the banner. Hiccup only spared it a glance when the worn fabric enveloped their hands. It was his _parents’_ banner. He had only seen it a few times as a child, on late nights by the fire with his father when neither could sleep. Stoick would tell him about the mother he never got to meet, both running their fingers over the threadbare banner. But it had been restored. Dragons that had previously been run through with swords now bore riders and saddles, Hiccup and Astrid had been added to the procession of chiefly couples, as had a Nadder and Night Fury.

  
Gothi looped the banner around their hands a few more times, someone said a prayer but Hiccup hardly heard it. Neither bride nor groom could bare to move or close their eyes when it was time to seal their ceremony with a kiss, but a frantic gesture from Gobber over Astrid’s shoulder urged Hiccup along. He freed a hand, pushing a lock of hair away from Astrid’s mouth so he could kiss her properly. It was soft, sweet, chaste- and the crowd cheered, nearly shaking the snow from the rooftops.  
Before the festivities could really begin, Hiccup took Astrid by the hand, and strode across the Overlook, through town to the cliffs and on towards the Sun Spear. Confused, the village followed. Hiccup nervously scanned the sky, fingers twitching as they got closer to the Spear.

  
“Come on, come on…” he muttered.

  
“Hiccup, what's going-” Astrid hissed. Then she yelped.

  
Dragons, _their_ dragons burst from the forest and sprinted along the plain, scattering to find their riders. Stormfly squealed, lifting Astrid clean off her feet as they grappled into a hug. Grump nearly flattened Gobber while Meatlug and Fishmeat knocked Fishlegs to the ground. Skullcrusher was more subdued, pressing his nose insistently into Eret’s hands. Barf and Belch coiled their necks around the twins, and Hookfang scooped Snotlout up onto his face. Cloudjumped bundled Valka up in his wings, snuffling her hair and clothes. But- Toothless was nowhere to be seen.

  
Before Hiccup could panic, the milling crowd parted and Toothless slogged forward, uncharacteristically slow. Light clung to the end of his tail, forcing him to drag her along like she was riding a sled. Hiccup laughed, so hard it hurt and he doubled over from the force of it. Toothless glowered hotly, then turned and scolded Light. Once she rolled off he bolted the last few yards and pushed Hiccup around and around, sniffing all over to examine his new clothes. Nosing at the fur cape, he whined and his gaze found Stoick’ statue. Ear-flaps drooping, he leaned hard into Hiccup's shoulder, still staring at the monument that stared back at them both.

  
“I know Bud, I know…” he murmured.

  
Their sorrow came and went, allowing the celebration to continue. Vikings and dragons flowed back into town, drawn by the scent of bread and meat. The dragons marveled at how far Berk had come, awash in color and decoration. They sang, they danced, they drank and feasted until the sun was long gone. Exhausted, Hiccup and Astrid bid their goonights and made their way home. They could get Astrid moved in properly tomorrow, for now? They just wanted to _sleep._

After the wedding, Toothless visited a little more regularly, at least every other week for the sake of his tail. After several months, he noticed Astrid was looking a little more… plump. She had started to only wear dresses, and her fur cloak against the chill of winter, and by five months she was quite round in the belly. During one visit, the whole village had gathered to weather a winter storm in the Great Hall when Astrid yelped in surprise. Toothless rushed to her side, whining in concern, but Astrid just patted his neck. She grunted as she lurched to her feet, then patted her stomach.

  
“Here, listen.” she stepped closer.

  
Tilting his head, Toothless pressed his ear to Astrid’s middle. He stayed there a moment, eyes squinted in concentration…  
He hooted in alarm, flailing away and tumbling over himself. Something had _kicked_ in there! Toothless scrambled to the hearth, ignoring the uproarious laughter all around him as he found Hiccup, then pushed and shoved his rider back to Astrid, still panicking as he circled her round and round. What was wrong with her? Why were they all _laughing?_

By Spring, the baby came. Toothless was already there on a visit with Stormfly and Light for a change, when Astrid suddenly doubled over in pain.

  
“Go get Mom and Gothi!” Hiccup barked, as Eret arrived to help him carry Astrid home.

  
The dragons needed no more prompting. They raced through Berk, and Stormfly rather indelicately scooped Gothi up to fly her away, leaving Toothless to find Valka. _There,_ she was at the smithy with Gobber! Toothless howled to get her attention.

  
“Toothless? What-” she dropped her tools.

  
He was clearly in a panic, nearly falling in a tangle of limbs when he managed to stop and there he urged her to climb on. Valka was such a clever rider, she would know what he meant, and she did, vaulting right onto his back. Toothless launched into the air, speeding over the rooftops to land at a sprint, sliding to a stop to let Valka off at the porch of the Haddock home. Valka rushed inside-

  
And slammed the door on Toothless’s nose as he tried to follow.

  
He keened, curling up on himself to clutch at his snout. Light took the opportunity to flop over him, like the near-hatchling she still was and Stormfly stomped herself a nest in the snow. All they could do was settle down and wait.

  
And wait.

  
And… wait.

  
The sun was on it's way down, and Toothless paced restlessly. Astrid cried out every so often, but no one would _let him in._ Stormfly and Light were equally anxious, and most of Berk had gathered around them for news. It was finally dark when a new, shrill cry split the air, rousing the crowd, and enough was enough. Toothless clawed frantically at the door, howling for someone, _anyone_ to let him in he had to help-

  
Gothi yanked the door open, bonked Toothless over the head with her staff, and slammed the door shut again.

  
Baffled, sore, and sad, Toothless just sat in front of the door to wait.

  
Finally, _finally_ Gothi opened the door to him, barely getting out of the way when he barged in. The room _reeked_ of blood, but… Astrid was right there on a cot by the fire, pale and weary but alive. She and Hiccup stared at a bundle of cloth in her arms, until it made a small noise, like a hatchling.

  
“Here, let's get you cleaned up dear…” Valka said softly, “Hiccup, you hold her for a while.”

  
Hiccup jolted, _“What?_ But I-”

  
“You'll be _fine._ Here-”

  
Valka took the bundle from Astrid, placing it in Hiccup’s arms and fixing his posture with a gentle touch. He hardly dared breathe, she was so _small-_

  
“And someone’s here to see you.” Valka teased.

  
Hiccup snapped to attention, finally spotting Toothless frozen in the foyer. He sniffed, scrubbed his eyes, and cracked a wet smile.

  
“Hey Bud. Come meet your new niece!” Hiccup adjusted his grip on the bundle.

  
Slowly, paw by paw, Toothless eased into the room, pupils blown wide. The bundle shifted, squealed, fussed, and Toothless tentatively sniffed the cloth. He reared up for a better look, and his wings drooped in shock. It was small, pink, wrinkly, and it's face scrunched but it's eyes couldn't, or wouldn't? open. It's little head was covered in dark fuzz, a little pink hand emerged from the bundle to wave in the air-

  
It- _she_ was a newborn human. Astrid carried her, like an egg, but inside. There was only one? Oh, yes none of the other humans had clutchmates did they? Except for the smelly twins. The baby’s fist rose again, and landed square on Toothless’s snout as he leaned in closer. He wrinkled his nose, and gave the baby a little more space. This- this was _Hiccup’s hatchling._ Toothless melted into the biggest grin of his life, so wide it hurt and it took a mighty effort to keep still. He couldn't jostle Hiccup with his baby, or disturb Astrid after all, not after all that effort.

  
“It'll be a good long while before she's big enough to play with everyone.” Hiccup chuckled, letting the baby wrangle his finger, “We don't grow that fast.”

  
Toothless tilted his head. Ah, no wonder he had seen so few humans this small, they would surely get hurt with so many dragons on Berk.

  
“Now, let's go introduce her to everyone, she is Berk’s future chief after all.” Hiccup smiled, so _brightly._

  
“You are _not_ taking my daughter out in the snow!” Astrid said shrilly.

  
“It's just for a minute, she's all wrapped up!”

  
_“NO-!”_

On his next visit, Toothless brought Light and Stormfly again, plus Cloudjumper and Scar. They had to meet the new hatchling! As Hiccup said, she had hardly grown at all, though she was a little less wrinkly. Light was instantly enraptured, squealing in delight when the baby patted her nose, though Toothless had to caution her from getting too close, Stormfly too. She was such a small, soft human after all. Cloudjumper and Scar were content to watch from a respectful distance, but she seemed to melt even _Scar’s_ heart.

Five years on, Zephyr was a proper young warrior like her mother, and fiercely protective of her younger brother Nuffink. It had been nearly two weeks since Toothless’s last visit, so she waited anxiously at the West window. Nuffink was almost big enough to play with the dragons, _almost,_ but not quite, no matter how badly he wanted to run around with Stormfly.

  
“What are you looking for up there Little Lady?” Hiccup asked, dropping the laundry on the bed.

  
“Uncle Toofless!” she answered, legs swinging off the edge of the chest she sat on,”He should be here soon, he's never late!”

  
Hiccup sighed, “He’s been very busy being Alpha in the Hidden World, he can't always come up when he wants… he might be late today.”

  
Hiccup snuck up behind Zephyr, snatching her off the chest and swinging her round and round the room. Zephyr squealed, flailing in her father’s arms.

  
“Daddy _no!”_ she protested.

  
“I’m not Daddy, I’m a _Snaptrapper_ and I caught you fair and square!”

  
Hiccup growled in a passable imitation of the dragon and mercilessly tickled Zephyr until she shrieked with laughter, unrelenting- At least, until a familiar howl rang out from above. Not Toothless, no-

  
“Auntie Light!” Zephyr gasped.

  
Hiccup set her down, and followed her wild sprint outside. Light was indeed waiting and like Zephyr, she had grown much. She was nearly the same size as Toothless now, who… didn't seem to be here yet. Light squealed at the sight of Zephyr, prancing around her and goading her into a chasing game. Light led both Zephyr and Hiccup back and forth along the cliff plains, through the high grass they would cut for hay at Summer’s end. Light finally let Zephyr catch her at the base of the Sun Spear, and the two rolled and wrestled in the grass while Hiccup caught up, slightly winded.

  
“I don’t move as fast as I used to, go easy on me…” he huffed.

  
Toothless burst from the grass with a great sweep of his wings, stumbling on the landing as he sprinted towards his rider. He was wiggling all over like a fish, grinning wet and wide, twisting about to slap his tail-fin against Hiccup’s face and chest, driving the breath from him in an undignified squawk.

  
 _“Hey!_ Yeah, yeah I’ll fix it...” he groused.

  
Toothless turned back to the tall grass and warbled, calling to something. After a moment, he yanked his tail away, forcing Hiccup to stumble forward.

  
“Toothless, what-” he stopped short.

  
Four. _Four_ baby Night Furies toddled out of the grass and towards Hiccup, Light and Zephyr. Two had Toothless’s green eyes, and the other two had the golden eyes of their mother, who peered out at them all over the swaying grass. One golden-eyed baby stopped to stare at Zephyr, but only one green-eyed Fury was brave enough to get close enough to investigate Hiccup’s boot, and that _strange_ metal leg. With a little more encouragement from Toothless, the baby sat back on it's haunches and looked up expectantly. Stunned and trembling, Hiccup slowly dropped to one knee, settling almost eye to eye with the little Fury. A single tear rolled down his cheek and the baby leaned closer, peeping in concern. It sniffed the wet trail, licking it- then it grimaced at the tang of salt. The determined baby scuttled forward and forced itself up into Hiccup’s lap, then his arms. Hiccup wobbled and fell back on his rear, and Little Fury flopped over his shoulder from the shock of his landing. It squealed in delight, pawing at Hiccup’s cape and burying it's face in the warm fur. Emboldened by their sibling, the other two Furies rushed to explore this strange creature, eventually knocking Hiccup flat on his back. Not that he minded of course. Toothless watched them all, tail swishing and neck arched proudly. And the amber-eyed baby with a single white scale on his brow crept forward, licking Zephyr’s hand when she offered it.

That winter was hard. Storms lashed the sea for days on end, even the reprieve between them was still bitter-cold, cold enough to freeze a dragon on the wing. Hiccup had to trust Toothless to be safe with his tail for a while, though with years of improvement it was more sturdy than ever. In the months of isolation Berk busied itself with crafts by their fires and fish-oil lamps, and Hiccup finally surrendered to the march of time. He gave up on shaving. In a matter of weeks he had a respectable beard that only grew as winter wore on, though Valka insisted on keeping it neat.

  
“You look so much like him.” she said softly and with pride.

  
Finally, winter exhausted it's fury and dawn broke, bright and clear. Snow had drifted as high as the second floors, even the _roofs_ of some buildings. It would take forever and a day to dig out-

  
Something landed on the roof, shaking dust from the rafters.

  
Hiccup threw the shutters open and leaned as far out the window as he could, but all he could see was the shadow of a Nadder on the drifts. But then the Goregutter strode by, with it's horns plowing the snow out of the lane and towards the cliffs, snorting great gouts of steam from its nostrils from the effort. Dragons dropped out of the sky to assist all over Berk, melting snow or shoveling it away from doors, allowing grateful vikings to emerge for the first time in days.

  
“Astrid! Get the kids up!” Hiccup laughed, grabbing his cloak and boot.

  
He rushed downstairs and _praise Thor_ the door opened, without letting in a wave of snow. He stumbled outside, squinting hard against the light and skidding on patches of lingering ice. It was still cold, not enough to steal the breath, but- where was Toothless? Hiccup scanned the sky, shading his eyes from the sun until shadows passed overhead. He whirled, finding Toothless skimming the rooftops with a flock of Nadders, Shovelhelms, and Stormcutters behind him, directing dragons one by one to homes that needed excavating, eyes roving over New Berk…

  
“Toothless!” Hiccup shouted through his cupped hands.

  
Toothless barked in surprise and nearly collided with a chimney when he looked in Hiccup’s direction. He steadied himself and whipped back along the main road, searching frantically-

  
And flew right by Hiccup.

  
“Wha- Toothless!”

  
Toothless broke hard, hovering for a moment before landing hard and bounding through the snow, running right past Hiccup _again._

  
“Bud, I’m _right here.”_ he said with growing exasperation.

  
Toothless jumped, freezing with his back tensely arched. He stared at Hiccup with wide, bewildered eyes, slinking a few steps closer. He sniffed, inched closer, and sniffed again- then slumped in shock.

  
“It's the _beard_ Hiccup.” Astrid laughed, stepping out with Zephyr.

  
Toothless whined, looking back and forth between Astrid and Hiccup with growing confusion. At least, until Zephyr distracted him with a hug.

  
“Do I really look _that_ different?” Hiccup rubbed his beard self-consciously.

  
“It _has_ been a while.” Astrid kissed his cheek, “He’ll get used to it.”

For Zephyr’s 10th birthday, the whole Berk flock plus a good portion of all the dragons they had befriended from the Hidden World arrived to celebrate. Scar, Toothless’s mate, the Gold Timberjack, the Stormcutters and Rumblehorns, even the Grey Bewilderbeast and Deathgrippers came. Cloudjumper, Grump, Skullcrusher, and Stormfly all brought their children, ranging from gangly teenagers to hatchlings too young to fly, but the steadfast Goregutter kept a careful watch over them all, with a little help from Toothless’s children. The four Night Furies were still rather awkward teens themselves, barely half Toothless’s size with lanky limbs and too-long wings. One Fury in particular snuck away from his siblings, a Fury with golden eyes and a single white scale on his brow, like a star. He was looking for someone _special._

  
Zephyr was on a _mission,_ but try as she might she couldn't shake Nuffink. He was _6_ he could be on his own for a bit, Thor almighty.

  
 _“Zephyr,_ I wanna find Stormfly!” he whined.

  
“Then go look for her! I’m looking for _Seastar!”_ Zephyr huffed.

  
She jumped over a lounging Stormcutter’s tail and Nuffink tried to copy her, but before he could jump the dragon just lifted it's tail. He scurried under and after his sister, catching up just in time to see something big and black pounce on her. Zephyr squealed, and squirmed out of the dragon’s grip, but Seastar chased her down to bathe her face in dragon-kisses.

  
“Seastar, _no!”_ she cackled, pushing the Fury away.

  
He just licked her hands instead.

  
Nuffink grimaced in disgust. Zephyr could _have_ her stinky Night Fury. He stomped onward, he would find Stormfly himself! And there, a Nadder call! Nuffink scurried around the immense flanks of Goregutter, and found himself in the thick of the baby flock. He stared in awe as the hatchlings slowly stopped their play to stare back. Even Goregutter leaned his great head down, delicately sniffing Nuffink’s hair until he was satisfied, thrumming deep and staring down with wide, adoring eyes. Nuffink could only stare back, grinning bright, until a young Nadder tugged on his sleeve. It hopped back a step when he flinched, chirping and looking him up and down. It was quite tall enough to rest it's chin on Nuffink’s head, which it did after another beat. Giggling, he gently scratched the Nadder’s neck, eliciting a blissful purr. It was a deep, deep blue, even violet in some places, with the usual gold stripes and a big orange patch between it's shoulders. A lovely Nadder, almost like-

  
A dragon clucked behind them, and Nuffink whipped around, the baby Nadder’s chin remaining atop his head.

  
“Auntie Stormfly!” he cheered.

  
Stormfly burbled, pressing her nose into Nuffink’s little hands. All six Nadder younglings rushed forward, milling around their mother’s legs.

  
“They’re _your_ babies?” Nuffink gasped.

  
Stormfly arched her neck, shivering her wings with a proud squawk. She straightened, looked hard at Nuffink, her blue baby... then she leaned over, picking Nuffink up by the scruff of his tunic and deposited him on the little Nadder’s back. It stumbled, finding it's balance as Nuffink settled, braced between it's wings. There wasn't anything to hold on to without a saddle, but he did his best with his legs wrapped around the dragon's tail. Then a thought entered his head, bright and devious.

  
“Let’s go, that way!” he said giddily.

  
The baby looked to Stormfly, who crooned in encouragement and just like that, it _bolted,_ nearly bouncing Nuffink off it's back before it found a more steady stride. They shot past Zephyr and Seastar, whooping and cheering.

  
 _“Hey!”_ she seethed, “You do NOT get to be the first new dragon rider!”

  
Seastar hummed, glaring after the retreating pair. But, what if... he crouched low, nudging his shoulder into Zephyr’s leg. Grinning, she threw herself onto Seastar’s back, nearly tumbling off as they shot after her brother. They chased and chased, all over New Berk until the young dragons could race no more. They all collapsed in an exhausted, happy pile, staring at the clouds.

  
“Well, it looks like you two are having fun. Well, you four.” Hiccup laughed.

  
“Dad!” Nuffink shot up, “I rode a dragon! It's one of Stormfly’s babies!”

  
“Yeah, well I rode one of Toothless’s babies! His name is Seastar!” Zephyr cut in.

  
Hiccup just laughed harder, harder than he had in a long time and settled in beside them in the grass, as Toothless emerged from the crowd to encircle them all. Seastar chirped a greeting, as did the little Nadder. They sat quietly for a time, the children idly petting their dragons as they rested, watched the rest of the village with the visiting flock, and Hiccup watched _them_ , face impassive in a way Zephyr knew meant he was thinking hard.

  
“So… we've told you how we came to New Berk.” Hiccup said softly.

  
Nuffink and Zephyr nodded, crowding in close. They could sense a story.

  
“There are people who would hurt dragons for selfish reasons. When I was young, I fought to build peace between men and dragons but-” Hiccup sighed, deep and bitter, “The world is a big, big place. And sometimes, no matter how hard you fight, and enemy can be so big one viking, a whole village can't beat it. So we had to find a way for dragons to live on, where bad people can't find them, until we can try again. Because sometimes a dream is worth fighting for, even if you have to wait. The dragons live in the Hidden World when they aren't visiting us, a world beyond the sunset, inside a hole in the sea where the ocean falls away and caves stretch on forever. Maybe the rest of the world will forget about dragons, forget that they were ever _afraid._ With a clean slate, maybe then dragons can be free, live in the sun like they were meant to. But-”

  
Hiccup drew a rattling breath, hugging his children close.

  
“Until that day, we have to protect this secret. If it takes 10 more years or a hundred, we'll make sure the world is ready. We’ll be waiting for them here, telling their stories. We won't forget what dragons really are.”


End file.
